Making the best of a muted holiday
M’sians show their resilience by staying connected, cheerful and careful
PETALING JAYA: This Hari Raya Aidilfitri might be a less lively one but Malaysians are still trying their best to enjoy themselves.
Media executive Ain Nadjwa Idzwanna started the day with a sunnah shower and prayers before dressing up for the celebration and meeting up with her family virtually.
“As I was unable to take a photo with my family in Pekan, Pahang, I tried taking a screencap during the video call instead. But it was hard because everyone was moving around,” said Ain Nadjwa, who is based in the Klang Valley.
To lighten the mood, her sister and aunt sent her some homemade cookies. She also prepared some traditional dishes according to her mother’s recipe.
“As I could not go home, I insisted on cooking beef and chicken rendang with my housemate to eat with lemang and ketupat that we bought.
“I used to help my mum with the cooking but this is the first time I cooked it from A to Z,” she said, adding that it was a fun and memorable experience.
The sadness of celebrating away from family hit her in the evening.
“I kept myself occupied during the day to keep my mind busy but the reality hit me later in the evening when I was sitting alone in the room.
“For the rest of the night, I watched movies and fireworks before I called it a day,” she said.
This is the second year analyst Naufal Zani, 25, is celebrating Hari Raya away from his family in Alor Setar.
“I called them after praying and spent some quality time talking to my parents and siblings,” said Naufal, who lives in Kuala Lumpur.
Despite only meeting virtually, it was an enjoyable session, he added.
“It was good to catch up. We’ve been so busy and have less free time to talk to each other,” he said.
“I also decided to do something new, which is baking, because I want to celebrate Hari Raya with my housemates with something sweet to eat,” he said.
While he shared the chocolate cake that he baked with his housemates, he also received lemang and rendang from his neighbours.
Admin executive Shuhada Azli, 25, preferred to stay home for this year’s celebration.
“It is to protect my family and my colleagues. I do not want any of them to get infected because being tested positive for Covid-19 would mean that they will be able to go to work and might have financial difficulties in making ends meet,” she said.
But Shuhada and her parents still celebrated the festival in their home in Rawang, Selangor.
“Before the pandemic hit us, my family would travel to our hometown, Johor Baru, to celebrate.
“This year, we did a video call with my sisters in Subang Jaya (in Selangor) and after that we enjoyed a feast prepared by my mother. The menu was the same as when we used to celebrate in Johor.
“The Johorean specialty, sambal goreng, is a must with ketupat and rendang,” she said.