Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Next: March 9, 2027
The fast ends. The doors open.
The story
Where it comes from
Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the Malay name for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that ends Ramadan, the month of fasting. It begins on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, so its date moves about eleven days earlier each year and is confirmed by the sighting of the new moon. It has been celebrated since the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. In Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia (where it is Lebaran or Idul Fitri) it is the largest festival of the year.
How it's celebrated
The morning begins with Eid prayers, then asking forgiveness from parents and elders (maaf zahir dan batin). Malaysia's balik kampung, the journey home to the village, empties the cities for a week. Homes are opened to guests of every faith for rumah terbuka (open house), with ketupat, rendang, lemang and kuih; children receive green packets of money (duit raya); families wear matching baju kurung and baju Melayu and visit the graves of relatives. The celebrations run for the whole month of Shawwal.
Did you know
- The greeting 'Selamat Hari Raya' is often paired with 'maaf zahir dan batin', asking forgiveness for wrongs both seen and unseen.
- Malaysian and Indonesian dates can differ by a day from Saudi Arabia's, since each country's religious authority sights the moon locally.
- Ketupat, rice steamed in a woven palm-leaf pouch, has become the visual symbol of Raya across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
The greeting
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir dan batin
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