Raya Here and There

Yes, I know that it's long past but I just want to share my raya with you. This year raya a little different for me than the my tradition raya had been. Previously, our tradition is to go back to my hometown in Negeri Sembilan usually one or two days before raya and went back to KL around the third raya. All of my mother's side of the family will be there which is a lot because my uncle and aunt makes up of 9 siblings and that's not included their children and their children's children. Some of them that have house close to the kampung will come on first raya and celebrate with the rest of the family.

Usually my mother and one of my aunt will be the lead and be the main chef of the family. In keeping with the raya celebration, we will cook ketupat made from coconut leaves (lately, my mother mix with the ketupat segera Nona :P), chicken and beef rendang kawah; cooked in a big kuali and lemang which will be made by my oldest aunt and cooked in open fire by any available guys that happen to be there. Last year, my hubby got recruited to do this; it's his first time.

My cousin and my jobs usually includes of making the popia in the morning of raya, putting the kuih raya in the jars and of course eating them in the process, helps with the setting of the place and so on. But the most exciting thing when we were young is happen right after raya prayers, when the men had come back, all of us already showered and dress in new raya clothes, we had our breakfast of raya foods and then, we went to each uncle and aunt and queue to receive our duit raya. Due to the large extends of the family, I can received more than RM200 in that morning alone which is a lot at that time.

On my hubby side of the family, they usually went to their oldest aunt's house in Gombak and celebrate there. They will stay in the house and relatives will come to the house. However, during the first raya with my hubby's family, we went back to Kelantan and celebrate there because his cousin is getting married at the hometown during raya. You get the raya excitement of going back to kampung and the environment.

However, this year is the first time I celebrate raya in KL. The day before raya, we went to the aunt house and just chill out there with my hubby aunties, uncles and cousins. Raya day, there are a lot of the relatives coming to the house and have to postpone a few times to go out until the relatives went back. My in-laws and I went to my parent's house and celebrate there also. This year, my parent's also didn't went back to kampung as the tradition. My brother had just been diagnosed with cancer and undergoing kimoteraphy. He was back to my parents' house for the raya and since his immune system is still weak and can't be exposed to lots of gems, my parents opted to stay in KL. Since my other aunt who usually cooked with my mother was also tending to my cousin's illness (almost 2 years now that she is still breathing using oxygen in oxygen tank), therefore, my kampung house is closed for this year.

We also went to a few relatives house around KL area but I have too says it's different raya in KL and less celebrative vibe. On the second raya, we went back to my kampung and celebrate with some of my mother and father side of the relatives. We went back around 11 p.m. and decided to test the new GPS in my hubby new toy, E66 nokia phone. The GPS is supposed to bring us using fastest route. It direct us in kampung roads where I never been before and no highway at all. Somehow we got to Semenyih and finally reach home. The fastest route translate to less kilometres I guess but not necessarily fastest since the road might be a one lane road and curvy which makes you slow down than if using highway which farther but you can drive faster. However, it was fun and the GPS had been useful before.

The third raya, my in-laws and sister come to our house and then we went back to my hubby's aunt house and spend the night there. By the fourth raya, we were back in our house. Therefore, this raya, I can celebrate both side of the family, my hubby and I. Hope your raya had been fun also. And so, my fren, you are welcome to come to our house during this raya. There will not be 'open house' so expect kuih raya only probably :P.