Traditions....We should keep

I am not that old.. Although some may say I am old...But i have passed 3 generations in my life. I managed to get to know my great grandmother, grandmother and now my mother. My grandmother passed away this year, 2 years after my great grandmother passed away. It's sad to think that with them no longer around, there is hardly a strong reason for us to go back to Perlis. That's where Mia's Tok Wan is from. Grand uncles and aunties are around but it's not the same.

I used to love Rayas. We'd (cousins and me) would gather at the staircase of the old Kampung house in Seremban and watch fire crackers and play "bunga api" (was legal back then!!)

We'd house hop to visit relatives. My late grandmama would introduce me to my long lost aunties..uncles...time and time again.

I's d bake cookies... visit Mia's Nini and Tok Wan's friend.

That was how raya was back then. Of course, in some families, it's still the same but personally, I think now most families are glued to the television on the 1st day of raya. We'd get to visit friends and close ones should there be open houses.

Things can still be like how it was then. But it has to start somewhere.

I have started. I want Mia to know and feel the joy of raya and other celebrations. Something that she will always look forward to. I want Mia to experience and keep the tradition of going to Uncle Bert and Aunty B's house for Chinese New Year, Aunty Joanne's Christmas dinner, Aunty Barat's and Tati's house for Deepavali......and of course Nek Tah's and Nek Dan's house for raya.

Uncle Hafidz and Aunty Joanne " beraya". A tradition that is still being kept.

In our house, raya starts with having breakfast together, then "solat sunat raya", "minta maaf sessin", picture session, second round of eating and talking and finally....look for houses to go "beraya"

Of course, "tradition" differs from one family to another.


Anyway, Mia's presence has made me realise that if not for us, raya should be a joyful event for the children. So, we might as well try to make the best of it and Chinese New Year and Deepavali and Christmas...and everything else!!!!