Eid-El-Adha away from home

Eid-El-Fitr and Eid-El-Adha are celebrations for all Muslims around the world. While Eid-El-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan Eid-El-Adha marks the completion of the holy pilgrimage or Hajj. Although the heart of the celebrations happens in the holy Mecca, those that have gone through that journey also celebrate it worldwide no matter where they are.

In a country like Malaysia, where literally ‘everything’ is celebrated, we went around to find out how international students living here celebrate Hari Raya Hajj in environments and traditions as different as can be.

It was interesting to know that some international students have spent 2-3 years here and have celebrated a series of Hari Raya’s. Speaking form a foreign perspective, what has attracted us the most is how Eid-prayers are conducted here in Malaysia.  Here, prayers are done inside the mosque, while in their countries, the Eid prayer is conducted in a large open place.

Celebrating Eid-El-Adha may depend on the location one find himself at the time. Many international students indicated that, there is not much celebration here in Kuala Lumpur as Hari Raya Hajj is not as big as the Eid-El-Fitr. Therefore, they mostly stay at home after the Eid-prayer. According to Maryam Abdallah “In Malaysia, celebrating Eid is quite straight forward for me as there is no much activity on the day, so it is very boring considering the occasion”.

In their countries in Nigeria and Sudan, where there are quite a number of activities such as the traditional Durbar(Horse Riding), family meetings and greetings, sharing of different dishes among the families, relatives and communities.

Usually both Eid-El-Fitr and Eid-El-Adha are characterised by the availability of traditional food and drinks and cultural displays. However for International students, the story is different. Many have forgotten about their traditions when away from their families just because they are unavailable.  I remember Kareem Yusuf from Nigeria saying, “I missed my favourite food and soup”.

Dinners were also organized by Muslim students at campuses here to add on to the festivities. Dining, dancing, playing games and taking pictures like when we did with friends and family back home made the celebrations fun.

Some of us prepare special dishes like Tuwo and Waina made with rice, Fankasu  with flour, salt and yeast  and Moimoi made up from beans  on Eid to entertain guests.

“I wake up early in the morning and cooked various dishes to entertain my guests. My friends came from Klang and Damansara to celebrate with me. We later dressed up our best traditional attire and greet neighbours together” said  by Zainab Saminu

One of the important lessons for Hari Raya Hajj is the contact or extension of friendship to friends, families and well wishers. This is usually done through visits and greetings back home. However for us, it is done by phone and via SMS messages. The essence is to congratulate friends and family for the great occasion, wishing them good health, long life and prosperity.

The holy sacrifice or (Ram slaughter) is another major event associated with Eid-El-Adha world over. As student we cannot afford to do the sacrifice. Some also said that they have never seen the ‘qurban’ since they have come to Malaysia. I wish one day I would be able to make such a holy sacrifice with my earnings.

Although, the celebrations are not that massive here in Malaysia, many international students have testified that they have enjoyed the peaceful nature of Malaysia and their Eid-El-Adha celebrations in this country to a large extent.