Eid in Dubai...my take!

Pictures of children...they are the angels of our open house!

We hosted an open house on Day 3 of Eid

Ladies with anak2 yang comel-comel!

Some of the men! 1. Frantic rush. Most people were expecting Eidilfitri to be on Saturday. When Friday was
announced, huge number of people made frantic rush to supermarkets. LiL
and I included. And we knew we made the wrong choice of location to go
for shopping as the roads leading to Karama center were jam packed. We will be wiser next year for sure - In not leaving it to the eleventh hour and in choosing where to go for shopping.

2. EidilFitri prayer was held very early - in almost all mosques before 7am. Fortunately we were well advised.

3. Open house. The Malaysian community in Dubai celebrated the first day of Hari Raya in good communal spirit - starting with an open house held at the Malaysian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and numerous open houses held by individuals. Malaysian cuisines were in generous spread, and even Raya songs were in the air. Ours will be on Sunday 3rd Syawal.
Malaysians here really dressed for the occasion - in Baju Melayu, Kebaya and Kurung - celebrating the Hari Raya in true Malaysian style.

4. Duit raya. For better or worse, there aren't 'duit raya' tradition here amongst Malaysians. Children do not expect, and adults don't have to worry about them. Amongst the local community however, children are still given 'Eid's gift of money'. I know because one of my friend's son received AED1000 in an envelop given to him by a local Emirati he they were visiting. Lucky fellow!

5. Drop in guests. I really like drop in guests - those who just knock on your door without waiting for invitation. It is great! To me, true spirit of Hari Raya in villages are just like that. 'Open house' to the villagers are anytime, any day, to any one's house in the community. And the hosts will serve whatever they have. The highlight was to do 're-bonding' and 'forgiving and asking for forgiveness'. However, in Kuala Lumpur and other Malaysian cities - folks have reverted to 'open house by invitation' concept - practical of course but not quite as free-spirited.
6. SMS's played a big role in living the spirit of Raya. I too sent out SMS's and receiving them always brought smile to my face. Many are really nicely worded too. Like these few I received and quoted here

"sepuluh jari di susun rapi
dari ingatan turun ke hati
ampun maaf jua di pinta
di atas silap pada tutur dan kata
tingkah laku dan hati yg prasangka
..."

and the one below

"masak lemang sambil berdiri
hendak makan di aidilfitri
nak hantar kad raya posmen dah cuti
sms saja dpt ku beri
bukan lupa pada tradisi
cuma ikut teknologi terkini
yang ada di hujung jari
..."

and short and sweet below

"tangan di hulur maaf di pinta
semoga lebaran membawa bahagia"

and another one

"resepi rendang santan berlada
di masak untuk si pakcik ahmad
utara selatan atau di mana saja
semoga silaratulrahim tetap erat.."

and one from Along....:-)

"mak ayah! selamat hari raya maaf zahir batin dari Along yg tengah
pening..hehehehe"

Thank you to everyone who have sent me the many smss greetings....much appreciated!


7.Children were the happiest. Every open house I have been to - I saw, heard and experienced their happiness, joy and laughter. Eid without them wouldn't be the same. One thing about children, they got on well with each other fast and without any hang-ups. They were least concern about who own bigger toys or received higher pocket money. They simply wanted to make friends and shared a good time.

8. Conversation topics - Here in Dubai, hot conversation topics amongst males are: Traffic jam, Ridiculous High Cost of Living - especially house rentals, Children's schooling, More about traffic jam and progress of Metro-lines, Malaysian politics, Peremb@'s recent issue due to its business in Dubai.
I wonder what the ladies talked about. In true Middle Eastern style, most open houses have separate ladies and men's section. Ermm, not my preference......I don't see why amongst us Malaysians we can't mix more freely.

9. The caterers! Whose business is booming during Eid? The answer is = the caterers! Most of the open houses of the local Emiratis are on grand scales. The Arab hospitality is really demonstrated to the extreme during Eid.

.....have a safe Eid, drive safely!.....

Selamat Hari Raya EdilFitri...!

All of a sudden tonight I miss my other three children who are not with us here in Dubai.

I was planning for a Hari Raya open house, and I was overwhelmed with thoughts of them - in faraway land. This year will be the first time ever that we as a family will not be together during Hari Raya.
Tonight I understood how our parents must have felt when we were not with them to welcome the first of Syawal. ....

I wanted to know their plans.

Along and Achik will be driving to Melaka on Wednesday to spend Raya time with their Grandma ( My MIL ). Both LiL and I are happy in a way, that MIL will have them for company. Otherwise she will be alone unless my BIL returns from JB, which is unlikely given the nature of his job. Already, Along is buying some Raya cookies to bring back to his Grandma. He is also preparing his first ever Duit Raya to give away….my advise was, “Sikit pun tak per Along asalkan ihlas….ikut kemampuan sendiri lah”.
Achik, will be bringing his course work along, for he will face an exams immediately after Raya.
Along and Achik is separated by three years, however in size they are equally bigger than me….and in personality they are also equally happy go lucky. Along reported during a phone call, “Kita present kat Achik baju Raya – dia siap tanya pulak, seluar tak de Along?”.
It is heart warming to see and hear how these two get on and along very well…..more like good buddies than like competing siblings.

Angah, is as independent as a girl her age can be. I asked whether she wants to fly to Dubai for the Raya, and politely but confidently she said, “Ayah antar je la duit tiket tu biar Angah buat belanja tuition kat sini….lagi pun cuti sekejap jer Ayah”. Wise girl!
In a way, I am less worried about Angah knowing that she has many friends there and also knowing that our friend the faraway doc is close by – These husband and wife Docs have been more like a foster family to Angah from the first day she arrived in Dublin. To both Doc D and Doc M, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To Along, Angah and Achik – Selamat Hari Raya! Enjoy ….Mak, ayah dan adik2 will always be thinking of you!

To all our friends and relatives out there

– SELAMAT HARI RAYA – MAAF ZAHIR BATIN !

Yang kurang itu kami....
Yang terkasar & tersalah itu saya....
Ampun Maaf jua saya pinta!

Selamat Hari Raya EdilFitri...!

All of a sudden tonight I miss my other three children who are not with us here in Dubai.

I was planning for a Hari Raya open house, and I was overwhelmed with thoughts of them - in faraway land. This year will be the first time ever that we as a family will not be together during Hari Raya.
Tonight I understood how our parents must have felt when we were not with them to welcome the first of Syawal. ....

I wanted to know their plans.

Along and Achik will be driving to Melaka on Wednesday to spend Raya time with their Grandma ( My MIL ). Both LiL and I are happy in a way, that MIL will have them for company. Otherwise she will be alone unless my BIL returns from JB, which is unlikely given the nature of his job. Already, Along is buying some Raya cookies to bring back to his Grandma. He is also preparing his first ever Duit Raya to give away….my advise was, “Sikit pun tak per Along asalkan ihlas….ikut kemampuan sendiri lah”.Achik, will be bringing his course work along, for he will face an exams immediately after Raya.
Along and Achik is separated by three years, however in size they are equally bigger than me….and in personality they are also equally happy go lucky. Along reported during a phone call, “Kita present kat Achik baju Raya – dia siap tanya pulak, seluar tak de Along?”.It is heart warming to see and hear how these two get on and along very well…..more like good buddies than like competing siblings.

Angah, is as independent as a girl her age can be. I asked whether she wants to fly to Dubai for the Raya, and politely but confidently she said, “Ayah antar je la duit tiket tu biar Angah buat belanja tuition kat sini….lagi pun cuti sekejap jer Ayah”. Wise girl!In a way, I am less worried about Angah knowing that she has many friends there and also knowing that our friend the faraway doc is close by – These husband and wife Docs have been more like a foster family to Angah from the first day she arrived in Dublin. To both Doc D and Doc M, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To Along, Angah and Achik – Selamat Hari Raya! Enjoy ….Mak, ayah dan adik2 will always be thinking of you!
To all our friends and relatives out there




– SELAMAT HARI RAYA – MAAF ZAHIR BATIN !
Yang kurang itu kami....
Yang terkasar & tersalah itu saya....
Ampun Maaf jua saya pinta!