SELAMAT HARI RAYA 1 @ 19/8/2012

{traditional Malay house @ KLCC}

{ketupat in the process...}

Selamat Hari Raya… Selamat Hari Raya… SELAMAAAAT HARI RAYAAA!!! (A very happy Eid ul Fitr!). We celebrate Hari Raya on the 19^th August 2012. The announcement was made by the Keeper of the Royal Seal on Saturday at about 8pm after breaking fast for the 29^th day. By then, my ketupat (rice in coconut leaves) and my sister’s beef rendang are already on the stoves. I have been weaving the ketupat packets in afternoon with some help from my niece, NN who seem very keen to sharpen her ketupat weaving skill of late. Earlier in the afternoon we went to the KLCC shopping centre for our last minute shopping and to get and absorbed the spirit and aura of the forth coming Eid ul Fitr celebration.

On the bless Sunday morning at about 7.22am we drove to our ‘home town’ which is about 8km from my abode in the city of lights, i.e. Kuala Lumpur.  It is a ritual that we converged at my late parent’s house which my sister SH now resides with her family after performing the Eid prayer. We helped ourselves to the delicious spread of Raya dishes i.e. her specialty lontong among others and of course the never ending photo shoots by many photographer wannabes and modeled by self claimed professional models! Raya greetings and salams were made to each other and duit raya (token of $$ in packets) were given to the children. There after we adjourned to my sister KH’s home for lunch of her  mandatory briyani rice and grilled chicken among others.

In the evening we gave our due respect to our elder, i.e. my aunt who is my late father’s sister at a nearby neighborhood. It was a relaxing evening gathering with her special brewed tea. Three years ago, when my cousin NS is around prior to her going to New Zealand, my aunt cooked her specialty buhkari rice with chicken pieces and cut carrots cooked to perfection together in the rice itself.  It is a middle east styled rice with some influence from the Arabian peninsular.

It was a great Hari Raya celebration. And the kilos scale is rising!

{Dr.S  briyani rice and acar-29th day break fast menu}

~raya salams and kisses~

~Acepaizah~