The Raya ambience, my way.

'Where will you celebrate Raya' is quite a popular question (or a pick-up line, depends on the person you're talking to) as the festivities are approaching, anticipated or otherwise. Celebrating Hari Raya in an urban surrounding numerous times before have made me immuned to the expression of sympathy towards myself for celebrating it here in the city, and not at the kampung with all the delightful kampung scenery as TV advertisements suggests. Usually this came from those who without fail, go balik kampung every Raya. Then again, does where you celebrate Raya matters? A lot?

Shah Alam and the rest of the Klang Valley are becoming slowly deserted at the time I'm writing this, and it is unsuprisingly a norm every year as the eve of Hari Raya approaches. And unsuprisingly too, for some, it is a norm for them to celebrate Raya here in the city. I, of course, am one of them.

Having a father working as a pilot may has been a factor to my family's way of celebrating, but it is, for some reason, not the main actual cause. It has been a very good while since we last don't have Ayah absent in our annual Raya potraits anyway (anyhow there will be no potraits if there is no Ayah), with the last one which I fondly remember of, was of 1996, the very Raya my third brother, Itti, was born (hence his Raya-inspired name, Ritzwan Fitri). Other than that Ayah has always been desirably celebrating together with the whole family, the closest to him 'not being able to celebrate Raya together' was having to return from flight on Raya's eve (which is happening this year).

This unavoided situation distinctively leads to a different way of our so-called 'balik kampung' pattern over the recent years. We tend go back to Ipoh on the first day of Raya itself, usually in the afternoon, after visiting Mama's side in Petaling Jaya (this too, contributes to why we don't really have the tendency of having to balik kampung early).

Moreover, on Ayah's side, Opah has been frequently commuting between Ipoh and KL to Ucu's place in Selayang and will usually return temporarily for Raya only a few days before the big day. My other two uncles and Ucu herself are seemingly adapting with this affair, and most of them will also return to Ipoh only on the last-minutes. Opah spends more time in KL than I do nowadays, really.

These left us nothing to be fretted upon having to spend at least the eve and the morning of Hari Raya here in the city. However, back in the old days where Raya fell in the school holidays and those times at the very end of the year, the Valley, especially in Shah Alam (where more than 80% of the population are Malays, go figure) the streets were drastically empty and things went deserted fast. It's a city of ghosts even long before the eve of celebrations. Only on the morning where Eid prayers were conducted there will be people seen (in large numbers), and that included a quite huge numbers of Indons and Banglas.

Things have changed quite a bit, though. As we thronged into the festive season while we are supposed to be preparing for examinations (running or upcoming) at the same time, the holiday period is being harshly shortened. And this all coincided with our parents not getting so much days of leave. Which resulted in an infashionably late deserting of the city, and a quite large amount of people staying back in their homes come Syawal.

So more people and friends are around this year. Which left me lesser things to be whined of. Either way, this Aidilfitri, it will be the same as last year's. Pelita will be light on, and the house will be lit up just like last Raya eve. We'll offer our prayers at the Shah Alam mosque none other, and after that, gather up, sharing light moments as we take our yearly potrait again at our very own living room. Then off to Wan's laksa, before we set off to Manjoi to savour Opah's must-have nasi dagang.

Ramadan bids goodbye as the rays of the new moon shines upon our doorsteps, and Syawal gladly knocks happiness on every believer's hearts. The ambience of Hari Raya is here again as we know it, whether it will be the same recognizable Raya or not depends on every person himself, but surely, it is not a day to be missed.

If we don't celebrate it, who else will?

so, Selamat Hari Raya!

Happy Birthday to Athari who is turning 18 today, and Sabrina whose Raya is falling on her birthday tomorrow. To those well-wishers for my birthday last two days, I thank you so much! and hey, I lost so many contact numbers, I've already got myself a new phone so please hand me your phone numbers (if you think I had yours in my last and lost phone). again, have a nice Raya people. Drive and play mercun safely :)