Field Trip - Malay Village - Geylang Serai

Organised a impromptu field trip to the Malay village for my school going children, to let them see and experience how the Malay Muslims prepare and celebrate for their new year.

Hari Raya Puasa is approaching, night bazaars are set up to prepare Muslims of the Big festival of the year. This is one of the biggest holiday in Singapore, known as Muslim celebration day. Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of Ramadan, which is one holy month of dawn-to-sunset fasting.

Geylang Serai after decades had been served as a Malay Village and Bazaars had been set up year after year for this purpose. Later on, Arab Street joined in, however still not as popular yet.

We started on the bus trip down to the place. It wasn't a very long trip. Children started to doze off when i poked them awake to alight. The first thing they noticed is... FOOD! DRINKS! It was right on the first row of the bazaar before everything else, right in front of the bus stop. So i got them some drinks, else they won't move on.

In Hari Raya festivals, similar to the Chinese New Year, Cookies, baked goodies are not to be missed. They were served when families visited each other during the celebrations. New clothes are worn, usually uniform throughout the whole family, what a way to build rapport within a family.




I was surprised to see Perankan clothings too. Afterall, it is a cross culture between the Malay and the Chinese.





Of course, to clean up and prepare a place for visitors during the season, many of them practically changed everything at home! Furnitures are sold. Carpets are replace, and most of these carpets are bigger than me! I assume it covers the flooring of living rooms. Imagine from the size of it from the picture (with the stall owner lying there, staring 'angrily' at the photographer, which looks more like a tourist than a customer). I would have thought the price is over $1,000. Took a peek at the other stall, it was Cheap!


I went pass a stall that provides lightings. I used to love looking at different lighting designs of my Malay neighbours houses. I wonder what other designs can they come out with this year. Apparently, as the years past, these lightings are also customised, such that one doesn't need to rake their creativity on top of their busy preparation of the Great day.




Children were amazed not just the toys that are sale, made me a hard time to pull them away from these stall to show them what malay exchange when they meet each other. The Green Packets, usually containing money inside, exchanged regardless of age or marital status. Other than the traditional designs, i found designs like this that looks exactly like Malaysian Rinngit! Upon leaving the place, i found more of the similar designs, costing more than double the price of these i shown here. But this time, resembling Singapore Dollars, both new and old designs, however, the stall owner is not very willingly to this local tourist to take a picture of them!

Children squeaked with wonders to see life like flowers, and kept questioning me whether they are real ones. I have to say, no, real flowers are rarely sold here, as they were usually used to decorate the house for ONE year before they throw away and buy new ones for the next.

Giving the notorious Joo Chiat Rd a pass, we crossed to the opposite site. I was asked what was that hanging on top as a decoration from lamp post to lamp post. Yes, it is known as the Wau bulan, Malay Moon kite, and note, these are those kites that does not a tail, and it flies very well!

As i dragged the tired children back to the bus stop to go home, i hope it is be a useful trip today. Malay classmates are hard to come by in their school unlike the past.

I hereby wish our Malay counterparts here, 

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Jane
Night Desperato Project