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KUALA LUMPUR – Even as many thought finally getting to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri after two years following the pandemic would be exciting, celebrations being brought forward a day certainly pulled the proverbial rug from under Malaysians’ feet.
With some families barely getting any sleep from cooking until the wee hours of the morning or shopping for fresh clothes, for many, the thought of being able to share the special festive season with loved ones trumped the fatigue.
“It was completely frantic, crazy, but absolutely worth it; it’s like I managed to finally have a release (lepas geram) after being unable to celebrate Hari Raya with my family for more than two years,” local guitarist Muzaffar Shah told The Vibes.
Muzaffar, famously known as Muzza, said he only managed to take a 30-minute nap over the last two days after being caught off guard by Keeper of the Ruler’s Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad’s announcement.
He said once the new moon was announced, he scrambled to buy groceries, clothes for himself and his family, and prepared festive dishes.
“We were shopping for ingredients until midnight, and then we had to find shops to get myself a new set of baju melayu, and baju kurung for my wife and daughters, which saw us reaching home only at 4am,” he said while laughing at the entire experience.
Muzza said they started cooking and had to quickly prepare to perform Hari Raya prayers at dawn, after which they made their way from Rawang to Sabak Bernam to visit relatives.
“Since then, I only managed to take a short nap, maybe half an hour, but it's such a great feeling to be able to spend time with my family again after so long.”
Joining in the unexpected “early” Hari Raya is Arif Nuqman Khairol Anuar, whose family ran around like headless chickens after learning that the first day of Eid would be celebrated yesterday.
Although his mother slaved away in the kitchen until the wee hours of the morning preparing festive dishes, the content moderator said his family did not get to indulge in the food as they were more focused on taking pictures.
“We only ate mom’s cooking after we arrived at our hometown in Sg Petani. But we were more focused on taking family pictures than eating.
“That’s because we haven’t seen each other for two years,” Arif told The Vibes.
Meanwhile, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris tutor Siti Nor Effadila Su’aif had her fair share of last-minute scrambling to purchase fresh produce.
Speaking to the Vibes, Siti said she thoroughly enjoyed cooking with her family especially with the presence of her young nephews.
“My nephews, too, were surprised that Raya came a day early. Yesterday morning, one of them, Ali, who is 8, woke up to have sahur as he thought we were still fasting yesterday.
“Maybe he is so used to waking up for sahur.” – The Vibes, May 3, 2022
Additional reporting by Isabelle Leong
