Celebrating Eid

When people talk to me about Eid Celebration, my mind always travels and soars to one Happy Village. "Why that particular   place?" You may  ask me. "Well, good question," was my answer to you. But, during the conversation, I could see the enigma sign and blank expressions all over your face :))

Happy Village is where my dearest HRHR resides. She is an active octogenarian woman. At age 83 years old, this woman still doesn't know the meaning of to relax and to take five (rest) or feeling tired. Especially during festivities such as Ramadan time and Eid Celebrations - both the Fitri and Adha. 

HRHR will be the busiest person to prepare foods for Iftar and Imsa' during Ramadan. She also loves to make and sew the cushion covers and curtains for the family home in prepartion for Eid Celebrations. She always believes in homemade materials as compared to buying ready-made products.

She will take time to put the flour to dry before making the traditional kuih muih for Eid such as kuih bangkit santan, bahulu and rempeyek. She never fails to make for me kuih satu (putu kacang) which is my favorite. She makes halwa with intricate designs from fruits such as young papaya and buah kundur.

She also feels sheer satisfaction upon seeing her children in their Baju Kurung or Baju Melayu which she stitched with her own hands. Since I am her youngest daughter, I have the privilege to wear skirts and gowns which she designed and sewn based on her imagination and creativity.  

However, when I followed my better half for his tour of duty in a foreign land, all the above which I have experienced during Eid Celebration in Happy Village were sorely missed. Certainly, I missed the octogenarian HRHR who is my Mom. She can't come to Kuwait to do things for me. She has her own home, and thus, I have to stand on my own two feet. 

Here, in my home sweet home in Ourtuba District, I have to do things on my own. Luckily, I have two helpers Lela & Ona to  do the cooking especially the Malaysian foodies such as satay and kuah kacang for all our guests. We were also lucky to receive assistance from the Malaysian  students studying in Kuwait University to 'cucuk' or weave the satay on to the satay sticks which was a very tedious process. Also, to grill the satay requires patience, or else the food will get burn easily! But, I don't have to worry like my HRHR about the house curtains, furnitures and what nought, because the house we stayed in was well equipped with brand new things :) 

Alhamdulilah, throughout my three years stay in Kuwait, the Eid Celebrations in our home were well  prepared and also well received by our guests - friends, colleagues and fellow countrymen. At one time, Kuwait  TV crew came to our home to cover the life event of  how the Malaysians celebrate  Eid. They wanted to showcase to the local people about the Malaysian experience. Indeed, it was an honour for us and the  small Malaysian   community in Kuwait, to be chosen, interviewed and filmed for that special occasion.