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Saturday, July 11, 2015

No ‘balik kampung’, so some city folk travel elsewhere

Hari Raya Aidilfitri for Muslims in Malaysia is synonymous with "balik kampung", "ketupat" and "rendang", but for city dwellers who have no village to go home to, the trend is to spend the holidays elsewhere.
Some might choose to travel out of the country while others simply opt for local tourist destinations such as Genting Hinglands or Cameron Highlands.
For Farah (not her real name), in her 30s, flying out of a concrete jungle like Kuala Lumpur is the order of the day.
"I don't have any kampung (village) to go home to. At times I envy the kampung folk who have the simple luxury of preparing 'lemang' and stirring 'dodol' in a spirit of kinship as portrayed on television.
"I have never experienced that joyous sense of celebration. Come Hari Raya, Kuala Lumpur will be 'quiet' to the extent that you can safely lie down on the road because there is almost no traffic.
"If I do stay put in Kuala Lumpur all I see when I go outside are groups of foreigners, mostly Indonesians and Bangladeshis.
"Our only activity is on Raya morning, going to the mosque to pray and after that, receiving relatives at home. Usually on the second day of Raya we don't hold an open house. This year, we are travelling out of the country," she said.
Sarah Zulkifli, 28, who was born and lives in Ampang, said she had never experienced an Aidilfitri where neighbours team up to make the celebration more joyous such as preparing the feast together and visiting one another.
"The only activity we have here is the family gathering on Raya morning but after that, we would just head to a karaoke centre or go shopping as the city will not be busy then.
"Going on holiday is also on our agenda during Hari Raya. Kuala Lumpur is the only 'kampung' we know, and without any festive atmosphere, everything is rather quiet so we prefer to travel," she said.
Sarah said it was only after she got married three years ago that she experienced a different Aidilfitri celebration.
"My husband's family is in Johor Baru. They live in a housing area but it is still fun to be able to visit one another, have a good laugh and being introduced to family members that we seldom meet.
"Although we will not get to enjoy the pleasure of preparing 'lemang' with village folk, there is at least that aura of Hari Raya compared to the atmosphere in Kuala Lumpur.
"The experience is very important especially for our children, for them to learn to appreciate the significance of Hari Raya," she said.
Meanwhile, Razali Dahri, 23, who lives in Sentul, expects Kuala Lumpur to be very quiet during Aidilfitri.
"It is as though the celebration is only meant for those who have gone back to their respective kampung."
For him, Aidilfitri was almost like any other day where he and his siblings would watch television after returning from performing the Raya prayers.
"On Raya night, we usually watch movies till late at night. On the second day, we will go for a holiday.
"This year, I am going to Janda Baik for two days with my parents as my sister and brother will be celebrating Raya with their respective in-laws," he said. – Bernama

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