Daniel Lim
As Muslims in the country celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the momentous occasion sees several gatherings with friends and families to commemorate the occasion.
For expatriates in the Sultanate celebrating the occasion, while being away from their home nation conjures thoughts of wistfulness, they have also been able to make full use of the festive celebration.
Indonesian Ali Imron has just recently started working in Brunei for seven months and is celebrating Hari Raya for the first time here.
While he does miss his wife and three children back home, he noted that there is not much difference celebrating Hari Raya as in Indonesia.
“It is easy to get homesick and sad when you are away from your family when celebrating an occasion such as Aidilfitri. But everyone here in Brunei is very friendly as we are all celebrating the same Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and this makes us feel at home and happy to be able to celebrate such an occasion,” said Ali.
He highlighted that various activities held at mosques as well as community halls across the Belait District, where he resides, are welcoming to everyone and said that this helps to further enliven the festive celebration.
He added that the advent of technology have helped to close the gap between him and his family in Indonesia who are also celebrating Hari Raya.
“Now, we have video calls. We can now greet each other face-to-face in real-time, and seeing the smiles and happiness on the faces of the ones we love helps to further enliven the celebration of Hari Raya for us,” he said.
Similarly, another Indonesian An Nurnisha, who has been working as a tailor in the Belait District for more than 10 years, shared that celebrating Aidilfitri in the Sultanate is not difficult given that “there are many other countrymen and women living in Brunei, and we frequently visit and meet up with each other during such a festive celebration”.
One such occasion that brings her friends together is an open house that she organises every year where she serves various Indonesian cuisines including soto ayam – which has a slight variation compared to locally-made ones.
“It is slightly different, and while the local dishes here in Brunei are delicious, Indonesian food is what we grew up to love and enjoy, and eating it during the first day of Hari Raya helps us to feel at home,” she said.
The need to feel at home is a repeated trend experienced by many expatriates celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri in the Sultanate, and in addressing it, the village consultative council (MPK) of Kampong Sungai Teraban handed out goodie bags to expats and residents on the first day of Hari Raya.
Kampong Sungai Teraban Acting Village Head Zaini bin Haji Kaderi told the Bulletin that foreign travellers and expatriates who frequently travel to and from Brunei always stop by the village as it is located close to the border.
“As many of them are celebrating Hari Raya away from their families, we want to make sure that they do not feel lonely and can celebrate the occasion with joy,” he said, adding that they have been conducting this for the past four years.
He hopes the effort will be appreciated as the MPK aims to continue conducting their activities annually in celebration of the occasion.
With these small bits of creativity and perseverance, expatriates and foreigners together with locals can create a joyful and memorable Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, no matter where they are in the world.
