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An Overview of the Hari Raya Festival: Exploring the History, Traditions, and Celebrations

An Overview of the Hari Raya Festival: Exploring the History, Traditions, and Celebrations

The Hari Raya Festival is an important celebration in many countries worldwide, especially those with a large Muslim population. This article will overview the history, traditions, and celebrations associated with this significant event. We’ll also explore common phrases like “ucapan selamat hari raya” and discuss how to celebrate the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2024. Hari Raya is a Malaysian term for Ramadan!

Hari Raya Festival

The Islamic festival, Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year is celebrated in April 10th and Hari Raya Puasa, occurs in the 10th month every year according to the Hijrah (Islamic) calendar. It is celebrated after fasting during Ramadan, meaning “hari raya” being “big day of rejoicing” in Malay.

Hari Raya Festival is a time of reflection, remembrance, forgiveness, giving thanks and celebrating life. Every year during this holiday season, families celebrate with traditions like decorating their homes with beautiful hari raya deco to welcome visitors and exchanging selamat hari raya haji wishes with friends and family.

Hari Raya Puasa, an observance celebrated according to the Hijrah calendar, takes place on the first day of the 10th Islamic month. Since the lunar Hijrah calendar does not always coincide with the Gregorian calendar, this religious holiday may vary in date from one year to the next. It should not be confused with the Islamic New Year, which is observed separately.

History of Hari Raya

The annual Hari Raya festival is a joyous celebration for Muslims worldwide, but its origin and history date back hundreds of years. This traditional Muslim holiday has been celebrated for centuries with special foods, decorations, prayer services and Lagu Raya music.

Hari Raya marks the end of Ramadhan, a month-long fasting observed by Muslims in remembrance of Allah’s revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad.

The first day is known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Eid ul-Fitr, which literally translates to ‘festival of breaking the fast.’

On this day, families traditionally break their fast at dawn with a special meal that includes food such as ketupat (rice dumplings), rendang (spicy beef dish) and lemang (glutinous rice).

The history of the Hari Raya Festival dates back centuries to ago when Prophet Muhammad returned from his final pilgrimage to Mecca. Since then, Muslims have celebrated this special day with feasts and festivities as a way to express gratitude for having completed the holy fasting period.

Traditions and Celebrations

Hari Raya, also known as Eid ul-Fitr, is an important Muslim festival celebrated by Muslims all over the world. It marks the end of Ramadan and is typically celebrated with lavish feasts and collective prayers. The exact date of the celebration changes every year and in 2024, Hari Raya will be observed on May 13th.

You can trace the roots of this joyous celebration back to the time when Prophet Muhammad made his migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE during what was called Hijra or ’emigration.’

This event marked the beginning of a new era for followers of Islam, and since then, it has been commemorated as one of their most significant days. 

In addition to observing fasts for a whole month during Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Hari Raya by offering special prayers, visiting family members, and exchanging gifts with loved ones.

Hari Raya Puasa 2024 is a joyous celebration for Muslims worldwide and marks the end of the fasting period known as Ramadan.

During Hari Raya, friends and family come together to give out ‘zakat fitrah’, which is an obligatory form of alms-giving required of every able Muslim at the end of the Ramadan fasting month. It is a charitable donation of food that must be given before Eid prayer, before the end of the month of Ramadan.

Apologies are exchanged between family, friends, and other members of the Muslim community in a culture known as ‘zahir dan batin’, which symbolizes the physical and spiritual aspects of a person and there is another tradition of apologies, “maaf zahir dan batin” .It is commonly used by Muslims during Hari Raya Aidilfitri and translates to “I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually.” 

It is a time for atonement, asking for forgiveness for sins done knowingly or unknowingly. The term “zahir” means physical or outward, while “batin” means inward or spiritual.

The festival culminates in a pilgrimage (known as Hajj) to Mecca, followed by Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

These days, Muslims gather with family, friends, and neighbors to exchange gifts, enjoy communal meals, and feast on sweets. They also visit local cemeteries and recite verses from the Qur’an commemorating their departed loved ones.

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Food and Gifts

Hari Raya, or Eid al-Fitr, is a significant event in the Islamic faith that marks the end of Ramadan. This joyous celebration, also known as the Festival of Breaking Fast, typically takes place over two to three days.

During Hari Raya, families and friends come together to celebrate with feasting, giving of gifts and hampers, and partaking in other activities. 

It’s no wonder then that Hari Raya has become one of the most widely celebrated Islamic festivals worldwide! And Hari Raya Haji 2024 will be grander than ever!

The festive season of Hari Raya is celebrated with a number of special food and drink offerings. Popular traditional dishes include festive dishes such as rendang, lemang, ketupat and lontong. At the same time, snacks like kuih lapis, dodol, and serunding are typically served alongside drinks like tuak and teh tarik. 

Special Hari Raya hampers typically contain these items for sharing with family and friends during Hari Raya Puasa 2024, Eid al-Fitr 2022, Raya Haji 2024, and Inner/Sorry Zahir.

On Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, special greetings such as ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ (Happy Hari Raya in Malay), ‘Selamat Berpuasa’ (Happy Fasting in Malay), and ‘Syok Hari Raya’ (Happy Eid or Enjoy the Festival in Malay) are traditionally exchanged among family and friends to wish them well in their celebrations. 

Other Common greetings for Hari Raya Aidiladha also include “Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha” and “Hari Raya Aidiladha Mubarak.” 

Clothing and Decorations

Celebrating Hari Raya 2024 – is an exciting time for Muslims around the world. Hari Raya Haji, also known as Eid al-Adha, is a major holiday celebrated at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

The other two holidays that make up the Hari Raya celebrations are Hari Raya Puasa, or Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Sorry Zahir and Inner (Hari Raya Aidilfitri).

During these holidays, traditional Malaysian clothing and decorations are popular among Malaysians celebrating Hari Raya.

For men, kopiah (skull cap) and songkok (traditional headdress) are often worn with traditional baju Melayu (Malay clothes) and sampin (loose sarong).

For women, baju Kurung (long-sleeved blouse and skirt), tudung (headscarf), jubah (robe-like outer garment), and scarf may be worn. Decorations usually consist of brightly colored lights, stars, and banners with words wishing “Selamat Hari Raya”.

Music and Dance

Hari Raya is a time for celebration, with many traditional music and dance gatherings taking place in Malaysian homes and mosques.

The background music of Hari Raya celebrations is traditionally dominated by the sounds of drums, harmoniums, gong tambourines, and tablas. Common genres of music played include classical ragas from the Indian subcontinent as well as popular folk songs.

Traditional dances such as inang, joget Melayu, rendang and mak yong are often performed during festive gatherings to honor the rich cultural heritage of Malaysia. These dances usually involve movements that tell stories relevant to the Islamic faith and culture.

Some Muslims may even arrange special performances of qasidas, Arabic poetic odes that express reverence and devotion to God.

The music and dancing during Hari Raya are a traditional part of the celebrations. In Malaysia, the most popular type of dance is the Joget Melayu, which features smooth stepping and intricate arm and hand movements.

Popular songs played during Eid al-Adha include ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ and ‘Zabihah,’ while songs typically heard during Eid al-Fitr are ‘Watikah di Awal Puasa’ and ‘Berpantang Ke Bulan Syawal.’ Background music often accompanying these performances includes melodious versions of classical Malay instruments like gendang, gambus and rebana.

The colorful and vibrant background of these musical and dance performances gives audiences a unique glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the Malays.

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