Old & New Malaysia

The holy month of Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar, and is a time when Muslims must fast (“puasa” in Malay) from sunrise till sunset. A month for spiritual reflection, prayers, and essentially training the body and mind to be good, righteous, complete and a perfect practitioner of Islam.

If one wishes to visit a bustling multicultural country like Malaysia, the best time of the year to completely experience it is during the Ramadan season. It is a time when the mosques and suraus (prayer rooms) are abuzz with activities. Mosques in towns and kampungs (villages) are at its most vibrant and filled to the brim with congregations during  prayers. A treasure trove of excitement and frenzy, streets are teemed with events during these times. It is a month of culinary excellence and all round family entertainment. This is the best time for locals and tourists to titillate their taste buds by touring the various berbuka puasa (breaking of fast) spots and trying out the various delicacies each site offers during the month-long Bazaar Ramadan held throughout the country.

Malaysia’s multiculturalism is admirable, with numerous different races and religions managing to co-exist in relative peace since the country gained independence 52 years ago. Ethnic Malays make up the majority race of about 60 per cent of the population, followed by a large minority of ethnic Chinese, Indians and other races such as indigenous groups and Eurasians. Other religions are practiced with relative freedom but with a majority Islam population.

One of the biggest attractions in Malaysia during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan  is the Ramadan Bazaar. Located at various places in different towns and kampungs all over, rows of stalls and booths selling varieties of popular food and drinks for the breaking of fast is a phenomenon in itself. An attraction found not only in the capital of Kuala Lumpur but the whole of Malaysia. It is Malaysia’s nation-wide, month-long Food Carnival Extravaganza. A plethora of colors, sights, textures and a mixture of cultures all waiting to be experienced.

Each bazaar, with its own distinctive flavor, comes to life after dusk with vendors selling their wares. A great place for visitors to sample traditional Malay cuisine which is freshly prepared and cooked on open coals while you wait, the Ramadan Bazaars (Pasar Ramadan or Bazaar Ramadan in Malay) are different from night markets and Sunday markets since  they sell mostly food and drinks for the breaking of fast. These stalls attract Muslims and non-Muslims alike to their special once-a-year delicacies and favorite food.

On the other hand, the weekly night markets have a mixture of light food, farm produce, clothing and knick-knack items, while Sunday markets sell mostly agricultural farm, river and sea produces for home cooking. This year the Ramadan Bazaar is open from 22 August 2009 ~ 19 September 2009 and cooking usually starts at 4.00pm everyday during the fasting month and crowds usually pile up from 5.00pm onwards.

Truly, the Malaysian community is distinguished with special kinds of delicacies. Ramadan Bazaar offers mouth-watering treats for the breaking of fast (berbuka puasa).

Some of the most flocked Raya Bazaars are Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, Pandan Indah, Shah Alam Stadium Car Park, the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Section 14 at Petaling Jaya and a slew of more accessible areas provided and encouraged by the government of Malaysia.

Food has always been a unifying factor for these food festivals as more and more people from different walks of life interact can be seen mingling and shopping for food together at these designated spots.

The sheer variety of choices are an experience in itself while the mouth-watering delicacies, its cross-cultural appeal and the carnival-like atmosphere make this a unique Malaysian sojourn.

From afar one cannot miss the pungent aroma wafting in the air as the tangy spices are prepared. Smoke from barbecue stands are almost always visible as the ikan bakar (grilled fish) and the ayam golek panggang (roast chicken) are being roasted. It’s hard not to feel fascinated by the number of skewered whole chickens being barbecued slowly over gas and charcoal in a rotational movement.

Besides dates (kurma or tamar in Malay) from the middle-eastern countries, you can find your favorite food, whether it is the traditional Malay dishes, like nasi kerabu, nasi berlauk, nasi dagang, nasi beriyani or traditional cakes or kuih, like kasui, popia, kuih pelita, lepat pisang and popular drinks, like cendol, coconut, sugar-cane and cincau. Popular local dishes like Nasi Lemak, Satay, Nasi Goreng, Soto, Lontong, Sup Ekor, Nasi Goreng Ikan Rebus, Mee Kari, Mee Sup, Murtabak, Ketupat, and more treats to suit every shape and size.

There are dishes, cakes, cookies, kuih and snacks not easily found in one place during normal days. Hence, the popularity of these events.

You can also find Kelantanese dishes of ayam and ikan percik, and evergreen Malay dishes like gulai masak pedas, rendang tok, opor daging, ikan kari, ikan patin masak tempoyak and other favorite dishes.

There is also always-popular light food and snacks like roti canai, noodles dishes like mee kari, mee bandung, mee goring, laksa of Penang and Johor, and laksam of Terenganu and Pahang.

Especially after a full day of fasting, everything looks utterly delicious,

“Islam is meant to be a blessing to all, not just to Muslims,” said Khalid Anuwar, one of the mosque teachers at a Kuala Lumpur mosque. “So we take the opportunity during Ramadan to bless the other communities around us. Of course, this should happen throughout the year, but we find festivals such as Ramadan Bazzaars are a great excuse for people to come out and gather,” he said.

In Malaysia it is common to find people of different races visiting their Muslim friends and breaking the fast together during Ramadan, with many even choosing to fast alongside the Muslims.

“The important thing about living in a multi-racial country is to learn about another person’s way of life,” said Parameswar, another mosque teacher.  “That’s the only way you learn tolerance and acceptance,” he said.

In countries like the Philippines, Malaysia is pictured as a mysterious Moslem country but when experienced firsthand, it is an entirely different society. Nothing like what the media portrays it to be. It is busy rather than chaotic with a good mix of cultures.

With various religions in one country, Malaysia shares quite a number of holidays. There are always “sales” coinciding with the different cultural festives. There are State base holidays and Easter/Good Friday are big deal in the Christian States of Malaysia.

Ramadan is a great period in almost the entire country. Families can enjoy many dining deals from every strata — hotels and fancy restaurants have great offers for berbuka puasa .

Malaysia is indeed the perfect place for every Muslim during Ramadan.

Selamat Berpuasa everyone.