tentang Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri

some would be wondering what this wish means and i hope my somewhat disorganized explanation here helps. the wish Selamat Hari Raya is how malaysians wish each other Happy Eid (i'll explain Eid later).. and the full greeting is Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. if you have noticed, Aidilfitri is the Malay spelling (or some would spell it as Aidil Fitri) and it is the same as Eid-ul Fitr which is in english.. the same thing, same celebration. and Malaysians tend to refer this as 'Raya' which literally translates to 'Celebration' but they really mean Eid (if it's almost Eid).

Ramadhan

Raya is a day of celebration after the month of Ramadhan. yes it is that month where Muslims fast during the day for the month. fasting in Islam means Muslims refrain themselves from eating and drinking and everything that can disqualify (cant think of the best word for this) their fast, from the break of dawn till sunset. so it's not just not eat and not drink. and i'ts just during the day.. so it's not that hard actually. if they do the things they shouldn't, they'll have to re-do their fast for the amount of days their Ramadhan fast got 'disqualified' (again.. better word?), any day after Raya but before the start of next year's Ramadhan.

if life in a year is a video game where people try get points to level up, Ramadhan is the bonus month where ALL good deeds will be awarded multiple times more than usual. more points u get the higher your level and of course high levels will get you to get better rewards when you reach end-game :P

Eid-ul Fitr

after a month of fasting, and doing good, and self-reflection, and prayers.. muslims celebrate Eid or how we Malaysians call it Raya. it is a day where muslims celebrate their victorious and successful month of Ramadhan. some also tend to feel a bit of regret for not having done enough good during Ramadhan.

while there's Eid morning prayer and other religious obligations for a muslim, culturally malaysians will visit friends and relatives. people will ask forgiveness from everyone by saying 'Maaf Zahir dan Batin' which means that you ask forgiveness, spiritually and physically. :D


so yesterday was the 1st day of the month of Shawwal (in Islamic Calender) which is the day of or Raya. i'll just say Raya becase i'm Malaysian :P and i feel a lot more comfortable say it this way.

so from me and my wife, too all our friends..

Selamat Hari Raya Puasa, Happy Eid, Eid Mubarak, and Salam Lebaran everyone ^^