Hari Raya is near. We all gearing up for that special day. Curtain is changed, furniture is replaced, and house is cleaned up. The Hari Raya songs echo in almost every entertainment channel in one's home. We are celebrating it. Hari Raya is so anticipated in Islamic calender. The beauty of Hari Raya is not just the delicacies and the togetherness of the people but the anticipation of it. The preparation IS the festival. It's a very beautiful preparation. The togetherness of buying things, changing things, cooking delicacies are everything in every Muslims' heart. After all, Hari Raya is about unity, togetherness and forgiveness.
With all these beautiful preparations, we are actually missing one heritage. Raya cards. Yes, we are missing this beautiful heritage, at least I missed it. I have nothing to blame but to point my finger to technology. It bites every chunk of people tradition and custom. Don't tell me how technology enhances people's lives, we are all aware the existence of technology does improve humans lives. With all social networking websites, SMS, and MMS, it has burying the Raya cards to the ground. I still remember those days where I competed with my siblings and friends to get the most Raya cards but eventually I got the least or worse, freaking none. Even if I had one, it's from my aunties and it was not specially dedicated to me alone but to whole siblings of mine. Only one or two lines written for me which was usually an advice telling me not to play with firecrackers. Ah yes, advice is advice, I didn't play with firecrackers but I did burn firecrackers. These were two different meanings, no matter what you might say. Every year, my father will always win because he got the most cards but we didn't recognize his winning because he got it all from his business counterparts. There was no authenticity in all his cards.
It was once a tradition that people will hang their Raya cards during Hari Raya. Some even have the same height of a giraffe hanged from the roof to the floor. I saw no reasons why people were doing so other than showing off their glamorousness that they were so famous because they got abundant of Raya cards. What the hell? If that was a way to judge one's popularity, then Tiger Woods will hang his Christmas cards from the Moon. It was a silly tradition but nevertheless it was one of the stupidities in Malayan culture that I honestly missed to watch it once again.
I think I am not the only one who misses the authentic of Raya cards, because the business of post office that was once a booming industry now dull and empty. Now, it all gone. Gone by the wind. Gone by the civilization and modernization. I remember the good old days where Raya cards were the representatives rather than tagged pictures. Huh, talking about aesthetic and authentic values, now it's gone.
p/s: I missed that Raya cards that will play the music once you open the card.
p/s: Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. Forgive me with all my wrong doings either verbally, mentally or physical behaviour. I honestly am. Sorry for using technology to deliver my wish instead of cards. Well, life is ironic.
