Hari Raya Aidilfitri (also known as Hari Raya Lebaran, Hari Raya Idul Fitri, and Hari Raya Puasa, literally “Celebration Day of Fasting”) is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr or Id-ul-Fitr.
It is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan / Ramadhan, the Islamic holy month of “Puasa” (fasting). The holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated starting on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal / Syawal.
Muslims in Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. The term “Hari Raya” literally means “Day of Celebration” — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of “Hari Raya Aidiladha” or “Hari Raya Idul Adha”.
On this day, Muslims all over the world offer a special prayer in the morning and later visit their relatives and friends. The young will seek forgiveness from elders for their past misconduct.
In Singapore, the first day of the Hari Raya is celebrated as a public holiday, where civil servants and private sector workers alike are mostly not required to work.
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Although I am not a muslim and I do not celebrate Hari Raya Puasa, I still find the festival fascinating. A month before the festival, Geylang Serai will be extremely crowded with all different stalls being set up. If you stay around that area, you will feel the festival nearing as shoppers congregate to the stalls after breaking fast at night.
The sights of the stalls are simply amazing. From the stalls that sells the traditional costumes to the Ramly burger stalls, it is simply a feast for the eyes. One will start wondering how this small area will be able to accomodate the entire Muslim population in Singapore.
I do have Muslim friends and although I had yet to pay them a visit, I guess I should try to do so this year. Maybe I should also get myself a set of the Baju Kurung too. Just mentioning this makes me look forward to the holiday already.
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