Jointly Reported by:
Chloe Soh Ke Er Jr1Z(3)
Tham Yuanyi Sr2A
Ng Choon Hau Sr3A
Ramadan bazaar pictures taken before MCO reinstated
Bazaar shots credit: Chang Qian Hung Sr2A, Ng Choon Hau Sr3A
The holy month of Ramadan and its concluding festivities, Raya Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr, shortened as “Raya” in this article) which were on May 12 and 13 (Wednesday and Thursday), have passed with an end to the Covid-19 pandemic nowhere near in sight. However, Muslims throughout Malaysia have found ways to keep the spirit of these festivities alive. We’ve interviewed 6 different people with the burning question: what was your Ramadan and Raya like amid nationwide COVID-19 lockdown?
Cikgu Farah
Cikgu Farah explained that Ramadan is a month where Muslims all over the world have to fast together. During this month, they do a lot of religious activities, such as daily prayers, recitations of the al-Quran, and iftar (the meal to break fast). After Ramadan comes the month of Syawal; Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri during the first day of this month. During this time, Muslims will usually return to their hometowns and visit their families to celebrate together.
However, due to the pandemic and Movement Control Order (MCO) in force, Ramadan and Raya have felt very restrictive. She pointed out that prayers in mosques are allowed, but not in large groups. She also noted that there had been Ramadan bazaars, but they were shut down due to the pandemic. Many were also unable to gather to break their fast. Thus, she could not feel the lively atmosphere of Raya this year.
At the beginning of the year, Cikgu Farah thought it would be possible to return to her hometown for Raya, since Covid-19 cases had seemed to stagnate. However, with the recent surge in cases and the sudden MCO reinstated, it seems that it is no longer an option. While celebrations could happen for families who live closer together, those that live far apart will have much harder time to reunite, which is rather disappointing.
Cikgu Farah thinks that generally speaking, whatever Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) the government implements is for the people’s sake, just like how the school closed down to keep us safe. The government wants what is best for us, hence they introduced SOPs and MCO to prevent the virus from spreading. Therefore, everyone must do their best to follow these guidelines.
According to Cikgu Farah, everyone has been extremely supportive during the festive period. She is thankful that despite our ethnic and cultural differences, we can still get along and socialise during these trying times. She also feels blessed that everyone has been respectful of Islamic customs during Ramadan and Raya.
When asked about her hopes for future celebrations, Cikgu Farah mentioned that she wishes the virus would go away soon, and that everything will go back to normal. She also hopes that everyone will abide by the Covid-19 guidelines for prevention.
Cikgu Aisyah
To Cikgu Aisyah, a Chinese Muslim teaching at our School, Raya does not equate to new year for the Malays. Raya is not a festival for Malays, but for Muslims, so Chinese Muslims like her also celebrate the festivities. To her, Hari Raya is to celebrate their success of controlling themselves of not eating anything in daytime during Ramadan.
Cikgu Aisyah said that Muslims have ample preparations before Raya, just like how the Chinese buy new clothes, make traditional food and decorate the house for Lunar New Year.
Cikgu Aisyah pointed out that the difference between Ramadan before and now is that Muslims used to buy food around 7pm at the Ramadan Bazaar, but now they are forced to stay at home and have to cook for themselves. She also added that Muslims will always go for solat (prayers) at the mosque, but not this year.
As for the celebration of Hari Raya this year, Cikgu Aisyah pointed out that they couldn’t visit each other. They would clean the house as usual but not decorate that much. She would buy new clothes for her kids, but not for herself as long as the clothes are not too worn out.
Although they had to stay at home, the Hari Raya mood had never dissipated in her family. They would still make traditional delicacies like lemang, ketupat and rendang. She said that duit raya, which were similar to and inspired by Chinese Angpao, were also handed out. Duit raya used to be given out to any children visiting, but none had been able to get it this time.
In Cikgu Aisyah’s opinion, the policies that the government administered are excellent in controlling the already serious pandemic. For example, restrictions of visits between households meant a reduced risk of infection. Cikgu Aisyah was not much concerned with the banning of crossing states as she doesn’t have any relatives from other states. However, she felt empathetic for other Muslim teachers in the School, as they mostly come from Kelantan and Terengganu so they can’t travel back to their hometown and be embraced in the Raya spirit.
Cikgu Aisyah said that when she saw Muslims posting photos of them celebrating with their families and wearing new clothes, she felt that this year’s Raya lacked reunion with lots of people.
Mrs Melda
To Mrs Melda, a 44-year-old teacher and mother of one, each Ramadan is an opportunity to become a better person and develop better discipline in life. According to her, fasting during Ramadan helps Muslims to reflect on their lives and deeds. It also reminds them of the less fortunate, namely those without enough food to survive, or those living in war-torn countries. Hence, Muslims are encouraged to donate and help others in need during this month to spread good deeds and devotion.
Meanwhile, Raya is symbolic of family, togetherness, and delicious seasonal food. Although Mrs Melda’s family could not gather due to Covid-19 restrictions, her celebration was not any less meaningful, as she found alternative ways to celebrate with her family online.
Typically, Mrs Melda wakes up at around 4.45 am during Ramadan to prepare food for sahur (the morning meal before fasting), often serving simple dishes or leftovers from the night before. Afterwards, she and her family will do their subuh prayers. Then, besides the usual morning routine and work, she also plans for iftar, and starts preparing for it at around 4.30pm, sometimes asking her son for his preferences before cooking. Mrs Melda’s family usually avoids going to Ramadan bazaars to avoid buying more food than they need. “It is not a good idea to look at a variety of food when your stomach is empty,” she said. “You tend to want everything!”
Ramadan has not been very different to Mrs Melda’s family, as they prefer to keep their celebrations simple. However, she misses sharing meals with her neighbours during this period, because it is not safe to share food with others during the pandemic. Moreover, she was saddened by the fact that many families were unable to get together for Raya during the pandemic.
Regarding the government’s SOPs, Mrs Melda believes that they are necessary, and that everyone must do their part in curbing the spread of the virus. However, the policies could be improved to be more effective and less burdensome to Malaysians nationwide.
Mrs Melda generally describes Malaysians as “awesome, caring people” and is grateful for their support during Ramadhan and Raya. Her family often receives thoughtful Raya gifts from friends and family far away. Additionally, she’s happy to have been given the flexibility to work from home, as it has allowed her to be with her family during Ramadan.
Despite the hardships, Mrs Melda thinks the celebrations for Ramadhan and Raya were meaningful nonetheless. “The best formula for feeling happy and satisfied is by being thankful for all the things that you have – health, family, love and a roof over our heads,” she said. Since she misses her loved ones living far away, she hopes that everyone will be able to celebrate with their families in person next year.
Encik Farhan
Ramadan and Raya under this new normal had some feeling indifferent. This was what Encik Farhan, a 32-year-old hawker selling kuih raya, thought about this year’s annual Muslim festivities. To him, Ramadan represents a teaching point for restricting negative thoughts, while Raya just meant lots of kepoh (nosy) relatives.
A typical day of Ramadan for Encik Farhan begins with staying up for sahur, then getting an extra hour of sleep before starting his day, and ends a family with iftar in silence due to exhaustion from working the whole day. Even though desserts are lined up in front of him in the day, he has gotten used to the fasting lifestyle, hence he subconsciously feels full. Plus, he doesn’t eat any of his products.
For Raya, he mostly planned to stay at home, save for attending an annual mass prayer at a mosque. A tiny blessing to him was only having to see his relatives over Zoom calls.
What’s new about this year’s Ramadan for Encik Farhan? His occupation. He had previously worked an office job as a writer, but switched to his current occupation a few months into the pandemic. He enjoys his new job, for it brings greater autonomy, and he said that business is going decently due to residents being desperate to shop. There had been some drama involving the MPSJ being unfair to local hawkers and setting confusing guidelines, but all in all it had not impacted his business too much.
On the government’s policies during these festivities, Encik Farhan showed some more sympathy to the government than most would; he thought that they were on the right track, but lacked clear wording in SOPs and more efficient management. His frustration was mainly directed at people who complained about the government, yet were either unknowingly or willfully ignorant of the SOPs.
Emotionally, Encik Farhan found Ramadan and Raya less depressing than most. As an introvert, he didn’t really miss many celebrations, and found the support of his close friends and family enough during these times. He was fine with the way things are, and wasn’t enthusiastic about returning to the “old” normal, for greed and individualism would run rampant once more.
Zhi Xuan
13-year-old student Zhi Xuan understood Ramadan and Raya as a special festival for Muslims. A typical day of Ramadan involves Muslims not eating in daytime. She originally planned to visit her Malay friend’s rumah terbuka (open house celebration) but sadly, MCO had destroyed her plans. She doesn’t think that Ramadan during this pandemic is any different except for the face mask which is a must to wear during this dangerous period.
Zhi Xuan thinks that the policies the government made for this period is a good choice because the cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia is increasing daily, but it’s also quite sad that Muslims won’t be able to celebrate raya with their families like in the past. Her friends around her never forget to wish Muslims “Selamat Hari Raya” online although they can’t meet in person.
Overall, Zhi Xuan was not really happy with this year’s Raya because she heard that the Muslims didn’t follow the SOPs when they were having iftar. She wishes the virus would be gone in next year’s raya.
Aiza
16-year-old SMK Sri Hartamas student Aiza always found Ramadan and Raya to be great opportunities to spend time with her family, as she usually doesn’t have much time to spare due to a busy school life.
During Ramadan, she wakes up at 4am to help her mother and grandmother with sahur preparations, prays at 5.54am, then sleeps for a while before online class at 7.30am. Her mother keeps a watchful eye over her studies, so she hasn’t been able to indulge in hobbies despite the flexibility of online classes. 12 hours after online classes begin marks her iftar.
Raya wasn’t all that different for Aiza except in two aspects: one, sharing of delicacies like lemang, ketupat, and rendang was no longer allowed; two, she wasn’t able to visit her relatives’ houses back in Perak and Putrajaya, of which she really misses.
Aiza found the government’s policies necessary, given how cases are still rising and people are still flouting SOPs. She isn’t that clear with situations at bazaars though, as she rarely visits them.
Overall, Aiza wasn’t satisfied with this year’s annual Muslim festivities because of the pandemic restricting movement and an overwhelming amount of schoolwork, but she’s grateful for her non-Muslim friends around her for being respectful by not eating in front of her.
While Ramadan and Raya have been nothing short of weird for everyone this year, many have still managed to keep a festive spirit in their celebrations. We must be absolutely grateful for our frontliners who have been keeping us safe from the virus, so that we could enjoy our festivities with our loved ones together.
Cikgu Farah 
Cikgu Aisyah 
Aiza 