Eid ul-Fitr is here again...

Eid is a time to come together as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. This is a time for peace for all Muslims in the world to devote to prayers and mutual well-being.
Muslims in Malaysia celebrate Eid like any other muslims throughout the world. The night before Eid will be filled with the takbiir which is held in the mosques. In my parents’ home, we will always have some men from the mosque nearby to recite the takbiir and they will repeat this recital from house to house.

Eid also witnesses a huge migratory pattern of the muslims, from big metropolitan cities to rural areas. This is what is known as Balik Kampung - literally going back to home town to celebrate Eid with parents and families. Big cities like Kuala Lumpur will be like dead cities. You can actually sleep on the road for awhile. There will be no cars or at least the amount of traffic will not be as heavy as the normal days.

My normal routine, one day before the Eid, is none other but to help my mom and dad with the “lemang” and “rendang”, our traditional food. It is never easy to prepare the “lemang”. You have to be patient and watch the fire carefully so as not to burnt the bamboo which filled with glutinous rice and fresh coconut milk. It’s pretty tiring and extremely hot to sit by the fire but at the same time I learnt a lot by doing so. I am not an expert in preparing the "lemang" but what's more important to me is to preserve the traditional practice where I cannot learn this from the books.

After performing a special prayer in the morning of Eid, visiting the graves of our loved ones is also a must. We will spend some time there cleaning the graves and reciting surah Yasin in hoping that their souls will rest in peace. And of course, the rest of the day will be spent with the family, relatives and friends. And for the children, "duit raya" will always brings a wide smile to them as this is the chance for them to "collect" money as much as possible from their relatives.

That’s me and my husband in action with a row of uncooked "lemang" by the fire~Thank God they turned out well, watched by my two 'lil pumpkins. [pictures taken 2 years ago]