Ramadan 2023 is just around the corner. I’m sure most of us can’t wait for it. However, we've celebrated Ramadan differently on the past couple of years due to the global pandemic, we thought that it would be great for us to look back at how we spent our Ramadan before the pandemic and try to restart and relive the tradition as now we have the chance to do so.
Remember those beautiful lights that decorated the streets of Geylang? The long queue for food at the Bazaar about half an hour before Iftar? Or maybe the enthusiastic voices of the salesperson persuading customers to buy their products?
Feeling nostalgic yet? Here, we’ve compiled a list of what we will miss this Ramadan. Perhaps we can all take this chance to reminisce and reflect on what we missed the most about Ramadan and try to do them this year!
Image Credit: Bubur Lambuk on Tatler
I’m sure many of us would remember queuing up in the evening at either the mosques or the void decks to collect the famous Bubur Masjid or Bubur Lambuk. The distribution of Bubur Masjid during the month of Ramadan is a tradition that many mosques still continue till this day. Volunteers gather together to pack the porridge before distributing it to the public. This act is said to promote the semangat gotong-royong (communal work) amongst the volunteers. We will definitely miss collecting our delicious Bubur Masjid this Ramadan!
Many of us often look forward to performing Taraweeh prayers with our family or friends at the local mosques. The atmosphere at the mosque is just so special; serenity fills the air and we feel some sort of comfort and connection with the rest of the congregants. Perhaps this is the beauty of praying in congregation at the mosque. With the circuit breaker in place, it is likely that Ramadan this year would be different as we are encouraged to practice social distancing and avoid gathering in a crowd. We will miss going for Tarawih with our family and friends this Ramadan.
Image Credit: Cedric Yong from Pixabay
Isn’t this the main highlight of Ramadan? Seeing the bright lights decorating the streets of Geylang, don’t we feel the “Raya” atmosphere? I don’t know about you but I would definitely miss going to the bazaar for iftar as well as doing last-minute shopping for Hari Raya outfits. With a wide variety of brands and shops available, you will find yourself confused as to which outfit you should get for Hari Raya. Oh, and the best part about the Bazaar is that during the last few days of Ramadan, prices get slashed down and you can get many of your Kuihs, Baju Kurung, Hari Raya decorations, and many more, at a very reasonable price. Don’t forget other Bazaars at Woodlands and Tampines where there are sometimes performances by our local and Malaysian artists, who are invited to further amplify the Hari Raya spirit. For most of us, it is during this Ramadan period that we don’t really mind going to the Bazaar even though it gets really crowded, because we value this Ramadan spirit. We will surely miss this!
The crowd doesn’t even scare us Singaporeans during this season as most of us don’t mind joining the long queue to buy those delicious Bazaar Ramadan delicacies like DengDeng, Burger Ramly, Apam Balik, Satay, and the famous Thai Milk Tea at Broti. In fact, you’re surrounded by all the different kinds of food at the Bazaar, not just traditional Malay food but also Thai food, Fusion, Western, and many more. The diversity in Singapore also means a wide diversity of food being sold at the Bazaar so you’ll surely be spoilt for choice. The tables provided at the Bazaar make it convenient for us to buy food and consume it at the Bazaar itself in comfort. With the current unfavorable climate in Singapore, we will surely miss going to the Bazaar and being surrounded by all the delicious food. And don’t forget the food coma that comes after!
Image Credit: Gradikaa Aggi on Unsplash
Ramadan wouldn’t be complete if you haven’t had iftar at least once with your extended family and friends. Going to your uncle's and auntie's house to have iftar together as a family or having iftar over at your grandparents’ with all your cousins gathered in one place; some of us may have experienced this in previous years. Also, we may recall having an iftar with our group of friends over at a restaurant and spending hours catching up and talking about anything under the sun. While we may no longer be able to gather together in big groups during this upcoming Ramadan, we will always miss the fun times spent together eating with our extended family members and friends for iftar!
Ramadan is the time of the year when we get to join other congregants for iftar together at the mosque. As Ramadan is the month of giving, holding iftar at the mosque where food is provided is a common practice that encapsulates this spirit. Perhaps for many of us, we remember fondly going to the mosque to break our fast with our family and friends in the previous month of Ramadan. As we no longer have the luxury to do so due to the pandemic, what we can do is reflect and ponder upon those memorable times we spent with our family, friends, and our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, having iftar at the mosque!
Image Credit: Jordan Ling on Unsplash
For many of us, going across the border to buy delicious Kuih-Muih has been a norm during the Ramadan period. Over at Johor, there are a variety of choices for Kuih-Muih you’ll be spoilt for choice in no time. Not only that, going across the border also means you get to enjoy some of the liveliest Bazaar in Johor. If you think that finding food at the Geylang Bazaar is a difficult choice because there are just too many to choose from, wait till you’re at the Johor Lively Bazaar! Unfortunately, given the situation that we are in, we won’t be able to cross the border for our Kuih-Muih this year. This will definitely be missed!
During the last few days of Ramadan, some of us may go over to our relative’s places to help out with the food preparation for Eid. We may help to prepare the rendang, or make the ketupat, days before the Eid celebration. The fun part about this is that we get to spend time together with our relatives; cooking while catching up on each other’s life happenings. On top of that, we get to share with them the theme or the color of our Raya outfit which gets us even more excited for Eid. The “gotong-royong” spirit can truly be felt during this period of Ramadan as we prepare for the Eid celebration. Due to the past couple of years Ramadan had turned out differently as we no longer have the luxury of gathering at a relative's place to prepare for Eid. We will always remember and miss all those fun times we spent together with our relatives preparing food for Eid!
There we have it, a list of things we will miss this Ramadan! Sometimes it's great to ponder and reflect upon the previous years of Ramadan. Perhaps this is a great way to remind us that things will not always stay the same. Nonetheless, even though Ramadan had been slightly different than what we were used to, it still doesn't mean that we can't make it a memorable one. There are alternatives to making use of digital platforms to Ramadan a different yet unforgettable one, and now as we've been through them, Insha Allah, you can still make this year the best Ramadan ever!
With that, our team wishes you a Blessed Ramadan this year!
