We’ve learned to embrace the New Normal, and along with it, a new way of celebrating the festive season. Although the way we celebrate might be different, the heart of the celebration – forgiveness, sharing joy, and remembering those less fortunate – remains the same.
For Pak Kamal and his wife, both in their 70s and living in Kedah, this will be the second year of not celebrating with their youngest daughter, Atikah, who lives in Kuala Lumpur. Pak Kamal has adopted new tech to keep in touch with her.
“Of course, I miss my daughter, but I’m not worried she’ll be lonely as she has a lot of friends there. She taught me how to livestream so I can share the celebrations here and she can see her nephews and nieces. The important thing is to stay in touch,” he says.
Atikah is worried her father might get a little too comfortable with livestreaming. “To practise, he has started livestreaming his daily life, and now I’m worried he won’t stop. The other day he livestreamed himself going fishing!” she says.
This year, Syakirin is taking extra precautions for the Hari Raya celebrations with her family, as her elderly parents live with her and they have not received their vaccinations. She and her husband are going to welcome small groups to their open house. As a workaround to still have fun while adhering to SOPs, she has taken an interesting measure.
“I’m planning to send a Google form to friends and family. It’s a little extreme, I know, but it’s useful for me. My guests can pick a time slot to visit and note the number of people coming. That way, I can limit the number of people in my home at one time and my parents can choose who they feel comfortable meeting. I will also place sanitiser by the door, extra masks, and a sign to remind people to wash their hands!” she says.
Celebrating the last day of puasa
It’s customary to celebrate the last breaking of the fast with a nice family meal. For Zakri, this means a small gathering with his in-laws at his home. His wife and mother-in-law will be preparing rendang and ketupat for the next day, while he prepares the home for guests. “We will have a small family gathering on the last day of puasa at my house and my in-laws will be staying over so we can have the Hari Raya prayers together in the morning,” he says.
If your preparations look similar to Zakri’s and you’re tired from cleaning and cooking, or just want a treat, why not take your family out to a fantastic Ramadan spread? Check your credit card’s special Raya offers and discounts at selected restaurants, so you can save a lot more for your celebrations.
Being thankful and sharing our good fortune
This is a year to be extra thankful for our health and fortune, which means sharing what we have with others. “My husband and I are quite fortunate that we still have our jobs, and this year we’ve decided to buy what we need from local businesses instead of big brand international stores. It’s a small effort, but we hope it helps,” says Syakirin. To spread a little prosperity, why not spend on local businesses and save? In fact, you can enjoy up to 15% cashback on your purchases with your RHB Credit Card/-i.
Zakri’s Hari Raya this year is a little subdued, but he’s still keeping the spirit with a little DIY. “We are not buying anything new this year as my wife recently lost her job and I’ve just started rebuilding my business after driving a Grab car for almost a year. To save, my wife and mother-in-law will bake a few treats. Last year my mother-in-law helped me make a simple baju kurung for my daughters, so I’ll do that again. Who else can say their dad made their clothes?” he says.
Although Zakri and his wife have had to cut down on their spending, they’re thankful for still being able to celebrate together and they remind their daughters that there are those less fortunate. “In previous years, we would take our daughters to orphanages and old folks’ homes for breaking fast and tarawih prayers. Although we are not visiting this year, we can still donate online,” he says.
You can also make your Hari Raya celebrations more meaningful by sharing a little of what you have. Just go to www.rhbgroup/JomDerma and scan the QR code of the charitable organisation/association that you wish to donate to using DuitNow in your mobile app. There are mosques, houses of worship, welfare organisations, education charities and many others to choose from. You can also donate using any other e-wallet.
Zakri’s Hari Raya morning will be simple with a few modifications, but he will still keep the tradition of a family gathering. His family will have prayers at home instead of the mosque, followed by a family meal. “After the Raya prayers and family meal, my in-laws will go back to their home and my guests can come visit,” he says.
Kids love the duit raya part of Hari Raya, but they can’t simply go around to relatives’ and friends’ houses to collect this year. Although contact is limited, Haikal, Syakirin’s 11-year-old son, is looking forward to receiving money this year from relatives near and far, thanks to online banking. “My uncle said he will give me RM50 e-duit raya if I fast for the whole month. I’m saving to buy a skateboard.”
We’re not expecting huge crowds of kids at our homes, but you can still give them duit raya. This is the time when giving gives you back many times over. Send or receive a minimum of RM10 via your RHB Mobile Banking App from 26 April onwards to stand a chance of winning a gold bar worth 10 grams or Habib Vouchers worth RM200. Prizes are limited to the top 50 highest entries, so give, give, give!
Atikah and her friends have planned a little staycation since they can’t go back to their home towns. If you can’t balik kampung, why not bring the kampung to you? “I’ve booked a kampung-style house that’s actually not far from KL. We’ll have a barbecue and watch my dad’s livestream.”
While we’re celebrating, remember that the heart of Hari Raya is to be thankful for all our blessings and to open up our hearts and homes to all. Give and receive forgiveness from others, and start anew. Kosong-kosong!
From all of us at RHB,
Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin