SINGAPORE FESTIVAL
HARI RAYA!
Hari Raya Puasa is a public holiday in Singapore.
Hari Raya Puasa ,also known in Arabic as Edil Fitri, is the most prominent of all Muslim festivals in Singapore. Hari Raya is Malay for "Grand day of rejoicing". Hari Raya Puasa is a celebratory occasion following a month of fasting which is known as Ramadhan.
The Fasting Month Of Ramadhan falls on the 9th month of the Muslim year which is followed by Hari Raya Puasa which falls on Shawal which is the 10th month in the Muslim calendar. The Muslim calendar and the English calendar is different, therefore the dates on which Hari Raya Puasa falls varies from year to year. Hari Raya Puasa sometimes can be mistaken as the first day of the Month or Muslim New Year yet, that is not true.
The month of Ramadhan is spent in fasting (Puasa in malay), prayer and the internal cleansing of the soul. Fasting commences at 5:30 am and ends at 7:00 pm. During Ramadhan, most Muslims read the Quran (Muslim holy book), learn to appreciate the finer aspects of life and incline towards giving to the less fortunate. Fasting is expected from everyone except the elderly, the sick and women who are expecting. Fast is broken after sunset when it is time for the evening meal known as Iftar. Fasting is broken slowly with light dishes (like dates or apricots) followed by a big meal. Muslims can eat and drink till 5.30am. The break of fast is followed by tarawih prayers which brings family closer.
This is the method by which Prophet Mohammed broke fast.
An interesting fact is that children and Muslim converts are trained with half a day's fasting before they take on full scale fasting.
Fasting encapsulates the third pillar and Zakat Fitrah encapsulates the fourth pillar of Islam. By the eve of Hari Raya Puasa most Muslims would have donated money to the needy and less fortunate.
The Festival of Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan. Prayers followed by a thanks-giving feasts are held in mosques on the morning of the occasion. It is a time of forgiveness within the Muslim community and a time for strengthen bonds amongst relatives and friends. New clothes, decorated houses and exchange of invitations between friends and relatives commemorate Hari Raya Puasa.
Some of Hari Raya traditional costumes on display!
The celebration of this festival extends to a month where importance is placed on the first three days. During the three days, Muslim homes have a "open house" policy where friends and relatives visit one another.
It is also customary during this period that graves of departed souls are visited and are remembered in prayers. Seven days prior to Hari Raya Puasa a small oil lamp is lit in front of every Muslim home. Each day an additional lamp is added and finally by the seventh day there are seven lamps lit in a complete row. These lamps are meant to welcome the souls of the departed who are supposed to be visiting their families in the night. This ceremony is known as Malam Tujoh Likur , meaning "all soul's night".
On Hari Raya Puasa, the Malays in Singapore have a lavish spread of all sorts of food over their dining table. They would have specialities such as beef rendang (a spicy dish of beef that is like a dry curry), ketupat (rice cake wrapped in coconut leaf) and lontong (rice cake immersed in coconut gravy). Along with these would be cookies, cakes and pineapple tarts. Amongst the Indian Muslims such as the Pakistanis, Khojas and Dawoodi Bohras, the dining tables would be laden with spreads of curries, briyani (savory rice cooked with meat or chicken) and dates cooked in milk.The Malays would greet each other with 'Selamat Hari Raya', which means "happy day of joy" and the Indian Muslims would say 'Eid Mubarak', meaning "blessings of the holy day".
Hari Raya feast!
credits for images: By Kirk Siang, MyLifeStory on Flickr and Yahoo Images
