SANDAKAN – Despite taking portraits of 13 families today, professional photographer Ahmad Jimmy has yet to take one with his own family this festive period.
For Muslims in Sandakan, taking a family photo in new festive attire is one of most anticipated activities during Hari Raya Aidilfitri as, not only does everyone get to show off their new and often colourful themed outfits for the occasion, but also gain a family keepsake.
However, for the past six years, Ahmad and his wife, Siti Nur Fadhilah Mohd Fajeer, have never spent Raya at home as they are busy taking portraits of other families.
Today, they woke up early to ensure they could reach their workplace, Crea+ve Capture Studio, on time to capture joyful memories for other families.
The couple are among many Muslims here who are compelled to work today, despite it being a special occasion usually spent with family, to make ends meet during these difficult times.
Siti said she feels sad that she cannot celebrate with her parents, but is grateful that her family is understanding of her husband’s job.
“They (family) never forced us (to stay at home), and they are very understanding. They would send Raya dishes for us at the studio during Hari Raya,” the mother of two said.
Siti is also happy that the standard operating procedures (SOPs) this year allow photo studios to operate, which was not the case last year.
“We are happy to have income during this Raya season. Of course, it is different than in previous years before the pandemic; we were taking in customers until 2am back then.
“This year, we are only allowed to open until 9pm,” she told The Vibes.
Remembering loved ones
Meanwhile, the mood was sombre at the Jalan Aman Muslim Cemetery here on Hari Raya Aidilfitri, when people usually visit the grave sites of their loved ones to recite prayers and remember them.
Sahlan Samsudin, 53, was listening to his brother recite the tahlil at their father’s grave when they were approached by The Vibes.
“My brother and I do this every year. On the first day of Raya, we will visit my late father, uncles and grandparents, who were all laid to rest here. We will recite prayers and the tahlil.
“The first day of Raya is a very sad day for me because I am always reminded of when I was a kid, when my father was still around. We would be so happy together as he would not be working and would spend a whole week with us.
“Praying for them is like ‘donating’ to our deceased loved ones; it is the only thing we can do now to repay our father for raising us and loving us,” he said.
The Sabah government is allowing cemetery visitation with a limit of six people for one lot for only 45 minutes.
Orders still coming in
Meanwhile, Rohana Azmael, a single mother of two boys aged 11 and 9, said that she only slept for one hour last night as she was busy preparing satay for her customers.
The 34-year-old operates a satay stall at Muhibbah Market here, but has been conducting her business from home as the market is closed during the public holiday.
Despite the little rest that she gets, Rohana is happy that she can earn an income during Raya to support her family.
“Today, I need to spend half of the day delivering customers’ orders. Some of them also order raw satay as they like to grill it at home as a family activity.
“Thankfully, this year, I have received a lot of orders. It is significantly less than the amount I used to receive for Raya before the pandemic, but I am still grateful that I have customers this year.” – The Vibes, May 13, 2021
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