I recall vividly my Hari Raya celebration with some classmates a few decades ago. I have a number of Malay classmates in school. Then, one day a Muslim classmate invited us to her house for Hari Raya. It was a memorable experience. As her family was stationed in Terendak Camp Melaka, the girls from that camp came to school daily in army trucks.
So, on that Hari Raya day, a few of us classmates went to Terendak Camp to meet her family and celebrate the festival with them. We all were transported to the army camp in an army truck. It was an experience for us, non-Malays. Of course, we had a good time enjoying the delicious food, observing some of their customs which we read about and chit-chatting over our experiences in school.
Today, I still have some Muslim friends and neighbours. The difference is that an invisible wall has built up through the decades and we fear offending one another. So, during Chinese New Year, I do not share with them any of my home-made cookies, lest they consider it not halal enough for them. During Hari Raya, they also do not invite me to their homes for meals. Now, we just share with our Muslim neighbours some Mandarin oranges and a packet of store bought packaged groundnuts during Chinese New Year. They would also pass us some Hari Raya delicacies like glutinous rice cooked in bamboo (lemang) and beef floss called serunding over our fence. I believe it would be great if we could have that invisible wall broken down and be free to eat and chat with one another in the comfort of our homes during all the festive seasons. Yes, nowadays gathering together at a Ramadan buffet is the trend but there is nothing like the simplicity of having guests enjoying simple hospitality at your homes.
Those were the simple days of Ali, Ah Seng and Muthu – friendship without borders, respect and trust without conditions.
By Mei Wong
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