Short Holiday Summary. 3.8. - 18.8

A month ago the Hari Raya began, the biggest festival for Muslims where they celebrate the end of their fasting month Ramadan. It lasts for a whole month and they celebrate together with family, friends and neighbors and return to their Kampung (village) to meet and forgive each other. In many ways it is quite similar to Christmas.

 In this time, especially in the first week of Raya , every house is open for friends and families to visit and eat anytime they want to and this is what we did on the first four days of Raya. 

with my hostfamily on the first day of Hari Raya.

On the first we stayed at home and almost over hundred people come through the whole day for a shorter or longer visit. The next days it was our turn and we visited 3 to 4 different houses a day, mostly relatives and because the families are so big I still don’t really have the overview to know who is who... My family s Kampung lies in the middle of KL surrounded by skyscrapers but still a village. That was really interesting to see, the different houses, to meet many new people and to eat lots of delicious Malay food! Raya is all about eating eating eating.  Yes the food... Before I came here I was afraid I wouldn’t like it but that is now my smallest worry I just love it and in every house were new and different dishes to try so I ended up eating the whole day, alternately traditional Malay food and cookies. Regrettably then my Malay wasn’t good enough to get at least the topics of all the conversations but I enjoyed it anyway and I learn new words every day.

2nd day of Raya :)

my family's Kampung in KL 

Then in the second week of the Raya holidays I went on the first trip with my family, to Kuantan and then further to Terengganu.

 We visited friends and family in two Malay villages, with the traditional wooden houses, ate fresh Ramputan fruits, went to the Beach, a wonderful small island and even when I got bitten by a jellyfish, I survived and could enjoy my first taste of Durian…yes I like it ;))  The last 3 days we spent at home and my little sister and me went Batik painting and visited together the Batu Caves, a Hindu Temple where we climbed all the 200 steps up to the caves and got our hands painted with Henna. :)

just Malaysia :) 

Pulau Kapas 

 

Batu Caves

Henna :) 

We also went to an "Akad Nikah", which is like the most religious part of the Malay wedding ceremony and it officially brings together a couple in marriage. The ceremony is effectively a verbal contract that takes place between the father of the bride and the groom. It took place  in a small Mosque so I wore for the first time a Tudung, the Headscarf and it was quite an exiting experience.
So that's it,  Post 4 will follow right after this on :)

Akad Nikad