7 things you need to know before Hari Raya Malaysia 2018

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Hari Raya Aidilfitri marks the end of Ramadan - the month of fasting and overcoming personal challenges. Everyone’s super excited about it and we simply can’t wait to balik kampung and meet up with our much loved family members. There’s still so much to do before Raya though- and I bet you have a lot on your plate too (no pun intended).

Here’s a list of things that you need to know before Hari Raya Aidilfitri begins in a few days! Happy celebrating and Selamat Hari Raya!

1) Gifting

There’s always duit raya for the children, but what about the adults? I’m sure your adult family members celebrating Raya would appreciate some Raya gifts too. They’d never say it out loud, but who doesn’t like gifts? BloomThis has partnered with Famous Amos to bring you a few exclusive bundles for Hari Raya 2018. The only thing better than flowers are flowers bundled with Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies. Sweet, delicious, and really pretty too!

Anis | from RM 209

As manis as her name, Anis is a sweet raya-vibin' curation of blue hydrangeas, green foliage, and sunset roses. This hatbox of raya flowers comes bundled with a Famous Amos twin pack - which contains 2 x 200g chocolate chip cookies and free 1 x 60g chocolate chip cookies.

Sabrina | from RM 335

Start the syawal mood early with Sabrina, a careful curation of maroon ping pongs, green hydrangeas and orange alstroemerias. Paired with a Famous Amos exclusive Raya hamper, Sabrina never fails to bring joy to those around her.

Maryati | from RM 245

Welcome a green Aidilfitri with Maryati's exquisite sunset roses, purple caspia, ruscus leaves, bear grass and green dendrobiums. Maryati comes bundled with a Famous Amos special Raya hamper - pretty and delicious, this Raya gift is sure to delight anyone who receives it.

2) When driving back to your hometown

When driving back to your hometown away from the city with your family members, remember that everyone else wants to go back home too. The drive home may be a long one, with many families from the city going to the northern and southern region of the country.

The road could be jammed up, and you may have to spend hours in the car, which doesn’t help with anyone’s temper tbh. Just remember that everyone has the same goal as you do - and maybe tune in to some Raya songs to get into the festive mood. Works like a charm!

3) Baju Raya

Baju Raya is the best tbh - bring out the baju kurungs, baju Melayus, and slay during Raya. It’s even better when the whole family dresses according to a specific theme colour - it’s an easy way to bring everyone together and makes really nice Raya photos. Plus, a set theme saves your family members from wondering “what should I wear tomorrow?” and gives them more time to spend with each other.

4) Family gathering

Hari Raya is the time for families to gather and bond. It’s time for children to get to know their grandparents, and for grandparents to manja the children, if you know what I’m talking about 😉 It’s my fav thing about Raya tbh.

When I was younger, I used to like getting duit Raya, and being spoiled silly by my grandparents, who always had exciting games to play, praises to give, stories to tell, and a seemingly unlimited supply of sweets in their pockets. Now that I’m going to give duit Raya for the first time LOL I really appreciate hanging out with my fam and getting to know them better.

5) Cooking with your fam

I’m not the best cook in my family - but my grandma is. As she grows older, she requires more hands in the kitchen, so everyone who loves cooking (or grandma) get together in the kitchen to help out. The children will help weave ketupat as they play “masak-masak,” while the adults will do the real cooking - there’s nothing better than sitting down to a meal that you’ve worked hard on, especially when it’s good Raya food like rendang curry, lemang, ayam masak merah, acar, serunding, and sweet sticky dodol. And definitely no crispy rendang chicken in sight!

6) Remember your neighbours

One of the best things about Raya is that the neighbours are extra nice to each other. OK we’re normally nice to each other - we say hi and bye and stuff, but during Raya, we exchange recipes, cook a few portions for each other, and even invite each other over to celebrate the festive season. It’s a great way to get to know your next-door buddies and promise to look out for each other.

7) Raya cookies

Raya would not be complete without the staple Raya cookies. Home-baked Raya cookies are much loved by children and adults alike, such as pineapple tarts, cornflakes cookies, biskut sesuci salju, and kuih bangkit.

If you haven’t done any baking yet, BloomThis has partnered with Famous Amos to bring you some flower bouquets bundled with chocolate chip cookies that everyone will love. It’s hard to resist Famous Amos cookies tbh, OMG I can’t forget the scent of these cookies wafting through the shopping mall - and you probably can’t either.

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Written by Melissa Tan