Covid-19 has closed the door on house guests. When home is a shelter from the virus, we must limit visitors. This restriction becomes particularly painful during major holidays, when people normally open their homes to family and friends and use the home as a space of celebration. As we await a vaccine, holidays centered on the home must be abandoned or radically altered. In this episode of Home on the Dot, we learn how Covid-19 impacted Hari Raya Puasa, the ‘Day of Rejoicing’ at the end of Ramadan. This year the Muslim holiday fell on May 24th, during Singapore’s strictest period of lockdown–the Circuit Breaker–when home visits were not allowed. What was Hari Raya like without the spring cleaning, the open-air bazaars selling delicious holiday foods and fairy lights, the home visits, and the all-important tradition of asking forgiveness from one’s elders in person? Tune in to hear what was lost, and what was gained, in this holiday impacted by Covid-19.
Sound effects from freesound.org. Music from audioblocks.com.
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Additional Links about Covid-19 and Hari Raya Puasa:
– Information on Hari Raya Puasa by National Library Board (Singapore):
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_919_2004-12-20.html
– Article by The Straits Times on restrictions for Hari Raya visiting during Circuit Breaker:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/no-hari-raya-visiting-during-circuit-breaker-period-muis
– Article by TodayOnline on initiatives to fulfill Hari Raya obligations:
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/several-initiatives-organised-help-muslims-fulfil-hari-raya-obligations-during-circuit
– Raudhah with her family in their coordinated Baju Kurung
– The laksa made by Raudhah’s Mom
– Pineapple tarts served as kuih during Hari Raya Puasa
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