PETALING JAYA: There are many reasons why Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a special festival in Malaysia.
It marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast.
Muslims celebrate Aidilfitri in faith and gratitude. It is a time to visit and gather with family to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
Aidilfitri in Malaysia is also synonymous with Hari Raya open houses, where Muslims open their doors to friends from all races and religions to jointly celebrate in the spirt of unity and harmony.
With Aidilfitri approaching once again, here are some interesting facts on the festival and how it has been celebrated in the nation throughout the years.
Here’s how The Star has marked the festival each year since 1971, when the newspaper first hit the newsstands:
Joint celebrations every three decades
Since a full year in the Islamic calendar is shorter by about 11 days compared with the Roman calendar, something special happens in Malaysia once every three decades.
During these years, Aidilfitri will fall close to one of several other major festivals in Malaysia.
Here are some examples:
Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year (1996, 1997, 1998)
An illustration on the front page of Sunday Star on Feb 19, 1996, to mark the joint celebration of Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, both of which occurred a day apart.
A front-page photo on the front page of Sunday Star on Feb 19, 1996.
Aidilfitri and Deepavali (2004, 2005, 2006)
Aidilfitri and Christmas (2000)
Is it going to rain this Raya?
Other than the exact date of Aidilfitri, one other question on many people’s minds is what the weather will be like on Hari Raya.
The following chart shows the monthly amount of rainfall in Malaysia for the months when Aidilfitri occurred, from 1900 to 2021.
It shows 1932 as the wettest Hari Raya month with 480mm of rainfall while the driest was 1985 at 81mm.
One recent example of a wet Hari Raya was in 2008. A tropical storm in Vietnam brought heavy winds and heavy rains over the northern Peninsular Malaysia states, with Penang the hardest hit.
This front page photo in The Star on Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Oct 1 2008 shows Sarimah Hashim, 42, preparing ketupat on the verandah of her flooded home in Kampung Permatang Tok Subuh in Bukit Mertajam as children play in the floodwaters. MUSTAFA AHMAD/The Star
Searching for Hari Raya
As Aidilfitri nears many Malaysians go online to search for all things Raya-related, ranging from greetings to the dates for the Hari Raya school break. Here are the top items that we looked for on Google:
An eagerly awaited announcement
In a statement on April 10, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal stated that the Conference of Rulers had agreed that the date of Aidilfitri would be decided based on the Rukyah (sighting of the new moon) and Hisab (astronomical calculations).
The sighting of the moon of Syawal has been set for Thursday (April 20) at 29 selected locations nationwide, and the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal will declare the date for Aidilfitri the same night through radio and television broadcasts.
Anticipation over the annual announcement by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal has led some people to take part in a light-hearted guessing game where they predict the colour of the Baju Melayu that he will wear when announcing the date.
There’s even a hashtag on Twitter - #tekawarnabajutansri – for it.
Check out below the various colours of Baju Melayu that the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal has worn in previous years, then take part in our poll where you get to guess the colour he will wear for this year’s announcement, then see how popular your choice is!
