After a month long of fasting, we anticipated the arrival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri with excitement pulsating in our veins. Every Muslim’s house in Brunei would be perfectly clean, beautiful and the air around is filled with festivity. Most Bruneians would celebrate Hari Raya for a week even though Syawal is a month long.

Traditionally, the morning of Hari Raya’s started with the Hari Raya prayer which the men goes, while the women busy preparing food and themselves. The most excited ones are definitely the children because they’ve got new clothes and the prospect of receiving ‘green-packets’ from the elders are perfectly overwhelming.
Early in the morning of the first day of Raya, we go to the mosque for Hari Raya or Aidilfitri prayer wearing new clothes; and listen to the Imam giving lectures or "Khutbah" reminding us on the true meaning of this celebration and things to do or not to do. Then some people go straight to cemetery to visit their late family members as we shouldn't ignore and not misses them although there're no longer with us. Most will go to the patriarch's home where family members gather around to ask for the old folks' forgiveness and enjoy sumptuous meals together.

Hari Raya is all about visiting friends and relatives in the spirit of friendship and unity. "Open houses" is the other one with endless food serving: just like the other celebrations in Brunei where the highlight of the festivity of course centres around eating!! This is the time we could call as an "Extravaganza Food Fest". Some of the popular and cannot be missed traditional food served are rendang (stew), ketupat, satay, kelupis and nasi himpit. Other than that most houses will have Kek Gulung Tapak Kuda
(Horseshoe Roll Cake), Kueh Mor, Keropok Udang (Prawn Crackers) and fizzy drinks ready on the table for serving visitors.

Of course, children are the heart of all celebrations. Hari Raya is where the little ones, decked in their new attire go around collecting green packets from the elders. At night, every Malay houses celebrating Hari Raya will be lighted up with colourful bright bulbs and children playing sparklers and firecrackers as noise of celebration adding the festive mood.

One of the specialty of celebrating Hari Raya in Brunei is that, we are able to visit the Istana Nurul Iman, the Sultan's palace to come and visit His Majesty the Sultan and the rest of the royal family and greet them a happy and joyful Hari Raya.