Saturday September 5, 2009
Getting into the Hari Raya mood
BY PRIYA MENON and FAZLEENA AZIZ
THE shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya have once again gone out of their way to welcome shoppers for the Hari Raya celebrations.
StarMetro visited two malls in KL and two in Petaling Jaya, which have come up with different themes, each catering to its clients.
Luminous: Long strips of material draped on the ceiling and Arabian lanterns create a traditional atmosphere at Sunway Pyramid. Bright blue lanterns hanging from the ceiling and sensuous Arabian music fills the air at Sungei Wang Plaza.
“We decided to use the Middle Eastern setting this year to attract the tourists from the Middle East as directed by the Tourism Ministr,y,” said Sungei Wang senior manager (promotions and public relations) K.K. Lim.
The celebration, aptly themed Samrah Aidilfitri, showcases a stage with a wooden backdrop with classic Arabian and Moroccan motifs.
Traditional drapes in rich beige with golden streaks are coupled with a beautiful marble water fountain as the centrepiece. Two life-sized camel figurines complete the stage, giving it a marketplace feel.
The plaza also features a bazaar with eight striking blue canopies, reminiscent of Bedouin tents, at the concourse level selling Raya goodies.
The main entrance hallway, on the other hand, is features live palm trees and blue canopies.
At the Mid Valley Megamall, on the other hand, the celebration is themed “The Rah Rah is back in Hari Raya” and has kampung scenes of the 50s around the large mall.
The journey begins at the South Court concourse level, where the train station lies sandwiched between an old newspaper stand and a coffeeshop.
“In those days, people would usually travel home in trains. It would be the first stop of their journey,” explained Jess Loo, the mall’s head of advertising and promotions.
The houses and stalls, drawn in caricature-style, look like a scene from Lat’s comics. There is also a vintage car parked at the “train station”.
Next, the journey takes shoppers to the Centre Court, where the kampung houses are placed to resemble a courtyard. Roosters and hens, coconut trees and wooden fences make the place almost come alive.
Finally, a bazaar at the North Court concourse area is where one can find Raya goodies. The North Court hosts stalls selling clothes, cookies, home decor and ice cream counters.
“We also have ice cream vendors cycling around the mall, selling ice cream, like they would in the kampung,” Loo said.
A small section has also been reserved for traditional games,where shoppers can join in the fun with the players at the mall.
Down memory lane: The houses and stalls, all drawn in caricature style, look like a scene from Lat’s comics. There is also a vintage car parked at the ‘train station’. Among the traditional games available are congkak, gasing, batu seremban, teng teng and chapteh.
According to one of the players, Nurnizaha Azizan, 26, tourists from Iran and Palestine have dropped by to play the games.
“Most of them think congkak is like chess. When we start teaching them, they get really excited,” she said.
Nurnizaha added that one tourist from Italy, who resides in Bukit Jalil, joins them daily for a game before breaking his fast.
“We usually have activities set out during the weekends, but on weekdays we have these little traditional games for the shoppers,” Loo said.
All three sections are filled with kiosks operated by some 30 outlets within Mid Valley. Among the items sold are clothes, food, accessories and bags.
Taking inspiration from the 1,001 Arabian Nights, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya is decorated with the Middle Eastern theme, with long Arabian lanterns, and sofas in beige, gold and dark brown colours.
According to Sunway Pyramid marketing communication manager Darren Chear, the idea came from the mall’s chief operating officer, Kevin Tan.
He said the decoration was two months in teh making.
“Our creative design department came up with all the decorations.
“It took eight people to set up everything over a week and a half,” he said.
The 1001 Raya Delights will be held until Sept 22 and shoppers can look forward to various performances, redemptions and shopping experiences.
Going Arabian: Bright blue lanterns hanging from the ceiling and sensuous Arabian music charm shoppers at Sungei Wang Plaza. Among the highlights are the Turkish Folk Dance, which will be featured on weekends and public holidays.
Shoppers can also look forward to the mesmerising belly dancing performances by dancers draped in Arabic Princess costumes and performed to Middle Eastern melodies.
Adding more charm to the experience, there will also be ‘The Snake Dancer’s Charm’, a belly dancing performance featuring two dancers and two large pythons.
During the Hari Raya celebration, shoppers will be able to redeem fresh dates packed in a cute box and exclusive 1001 Raya Delights packets with purchase of RM150 and above in a maximum of three accumulated receipts.
Over at 1Utama Shopping Centre, the scene of the coastal market is depicted as a tribute to the hardworking fishermen. The whole ambience takes shoppers to the olden and simpler times of the past.
The Lower Ground Floor Oval is decorated as a traditional port for fishing, bartering and trade, with life-size sampans doubling as kiosks perfectly placed.
Adding to the visual effect are a sprinkling of seashells, fishing nets, mangrove trees, oil-lamps and sand.
According to 1Utama advertising & promotions manager Patrick So, the theme is all about reunion.
“It is about the hardworking fishermen, who go out to sea to earn a living, coming back to the family.
“The whole thing ties up with the spirit of Hari Raya, where the family reunites for the celebration.
“We wanted to capture everything and we tried to get items as close as possible to the 30s and 40s era.
“It took about five days to put everything together,” he said, adding that the planning began back in February.
Visitors can look forward to the Festival Tarian Nelayan, Balle Balle band and Jentayu dancers, who are set to entertain the crowd.
Daily demonstrations of rattan weaving and batik painting will be held at 1pm and 8.30pm by Kraftangan Malaysia until Sept 18. On weekends, rattan-weaving and batik-painting workshops will be conducted for visitors.
Shoppers who spend RM100 in a single receipt at any participating outlet are eligible to redeem a RM5 cash food voucher from the customer service centre, on the ground floor, Highstreet, on the same day.
As an added bonus, hop into the Onecard Express coach which takes shoppers to and from the Kelana Jaya LRT station for free.
For details on Hari Raya activities and promotions, call 1Utama customer service centre at 03-7710 8118 from 10am to 10pm or visit www.1utama.com.my/www.onecard.com.my.
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