For many Muslim families, the holy month of Ramadan is one of the most social and holy months of the year. It eventually culminates to the festival of Eid, otherwise known as Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which takes place on the very first day of the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
Commemorating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world would celebrate by visiting mosques with their family members for prayers on Hari Raya Puasa in the morning. They would then don new clothes, seek forgiveness with their elders, and begin their annual visitations.
Related Article: Why Do Muslim Families Distribute Green Packets During Hari Raya Puasa
When the pandemic hit last year, communal gatherings at mosques or any other social setting were impacted. Many Muslims families replaced the much-anticipated physical get-togethers with virtual meetups in a bid to keep the Ramadan and Raya spirit alive. With quarantine and social distancing added to the equation, the festival of Eid in 2020 was unlike any other.
A year later, a silver lining beckons in Singapore.
Social gatherings are now limited to a maximum of 8 in a single seating. Mosques and other places of worship can allow even more devotees into their halls. The new normal, it seems, is all about adapting to modifications and paying heed to state regulations. All in the hopes of curbing the spread of the virus.
But how then can you keep the spirit of togetherness and celebratory undertones alive today? For Muslim couple, Zulhilmi and Sherry, both 29, it’s all about imposing a good communication system to liaise between family members and spreading the annual visitations across a few weeks.
In an exclusive interview with hoolah, we spoke to Zulhilmi, a business development manager, on what Hari Raya Puasa means to him, what he misses about the Eid festival of yesteryears, and how he will be celebrating Hari Raya Puasa with his wife.
Sng Ler Jun: Before marriage, how would you break fast?
Zulhilmi Suginin: I’m quite a family-oriented person. I feel guilty if I don’t break fast with my family. When it comes to breaking fast with my friends, I can only do so once or twice in the fasting month. So, most of the time, I’ll be breaking my fast at home.
Ler Jun: Now that you are married, how have these traditions or celebrations changed?
Zulhilmi: Now that I am married, my wife and I make our own rules. I don’t have the habit of eating a heavy breakfast now; I’d have diarrhoea otherwise. During the month of Ramadan, I’d wake up earlier in the day, and I’m satisfied with just consuming dates and drinking plenty of water. For my wife, she’d eat a heavier meal the night before, so she can get more rest. When I come home, we’d usually break fast together.
Ler Jun: I’ve been meaning to ask, do you miss breaking fast together with your family?
Zulhilmi: I do. I mean, at the end of the day, you tend to miss people when you are not together with them, right? It’s human nature. Yeah, so that’s what I’m feeling on a constant basis. It’s part of life.
Ler Jun: How did you celebrate Hari Raya Puasa before you were married?
Zulhilmi: Before the pandemic, my family and I would go to the mosque in the morning. Then, we eat breakfast together. We’d have the traditional Hari Raya Puasa breakfast, like Lontong. Right after that, we would start our visitations in our traditional costumes. The tradition is for us to ask for forgiveness on the first day to our elders.
Ler Jun: The coronavirus pandemic started last year and celebrations leading up to Hari Raya Puasa were toned down or cancelled. How did you celebrate Hari Raya Puasa last year?
Zulhilmi: Last year, we hosted Zoom meetings to both our extended families. The rules were stricter back then. Besides our parents, we didn’t visit anyone at all.
Ler Jun: But the rules this year are more relaxed than the last.
Zulhilmi: Yeah, we can finally visit our families albeit only 8 members at a time. I think there will be a lot of coordination involved to ensure that happens. We definitely don’t want to make the pandemic worse here. So, we might be expanding our visitations over a few weeks.
Ler Jun: Do you foresee any challenges planning the meetups this year?
Zulhilmi: I don’t think so. I think it’s all about adapting to the new normal. The only thing we can do is to avoid worsening the pandemic. We have to be responsible, and we need communication to circumvent the challenges.
Ler Jun: What do you miss about celebrating the end of the Ramandan month during the pre-coronavirus pandemic?
Zulhilmi: I miss having all my cousins in one room or house. I mean, it’s crowded but they are a fun kind of crowd.
Ler Jun: What about the Hari Raya bazaars, like the one in Geylang Serai?
Zulhilmi: That too! At that point of time, I would lament about the crowd, but now I do miss it. I miss the atmosphere more than anything else!
Ler Jun: Let’s talk about the act of distributing green packets. When did you start giving out green packets? What’s the significance of it?
Zulhilmi: I’ve been giving way back when I started working. The amount differs then and now. Before I get married, I give whatever I could afford to. I’d like to think of the act as a form of respect, getting well-wishes, and exercising generosity.
Ler Jun: Could you recount your first Hari Raya Puasa experience as a newlywed in 2019?
Zulhilmi: Going out together for Hari Raya Puasa visitations as husband and wife is different. We have never done it before marriage because we celebrate Hari Raya Puasa differently. I realised it’s important to respect our individual differences and each other’s way of doing things.
Ler Jun: What do you look forward to celebrating Hari Raya Puasa every year? Is the sentiment still the same this year?
Zulhilmi: I think it’s still the same. One thing for sure is keeping in contact with people whom you’ve never spoken to for quite some time is a good reason for us to visit each other and catch up. With a pandemic in the midst, everyone has their own problems during this period. So, this is where we can share, talk, or laugh at them whilst asking for blessings or forgiveness.
Ler Jun: What does Hari Raya mean to you? Has that changed after you got married?
Zulhilmi: It’s still the same. It’s all about that togetherness and celebration!
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