KUCHING: At Kampung No. 3 in Satok here, residents are beginning to decorate their homes with colourful festive lights and oil lamps ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
It’s a tradition known as “bertuntung”, which is practised by Sarawak’s Malay community to usher in the celebration.
The lights are traditionally put up on the 27th night of Ramadan, known as “malam tujuh likur”, but villager Zulaikha Ramzi began decorating her home 10 days before Raya.
“My family has been putting up Raya festive lights for the last 16 years.
“We’ve also taken part in ‘bertuntung’ competitions organised by the neighbourhood committee and won five times,” she said.
Their enthusiasm for the tradition has made their home a draw for city folk eager to view the lights and take photos.
The family has catered to the growing interest by adding a gazebo in their compound as an added attraction and a place where visitors can pose for snapshots.
“Last year, we even had visitors from Sabah coming to look at our lights,” Zulaikha said.
For this year’s decorating effort, her family put up about 30,000 electric and solar lights as well as oil lamps made from recycled bottles.
For Zulaikha, “bertuntung” is a family tradition that enhances the festive atmosphere.
“My older sister motivates me every year. She enjoys seeing a lot of people passing by the house to look at the lights on ‘malam tujuh likur’.”
Among those admiring Zulaikha’s festive lights was Sharifah Nur Hijrah Wan Saffry, who brought along two friends.
“Homes decorated with lights and oil lamps are a real attraction. Seeing the lights makes us feel that Raya is coming soon.
“As the younger generation, we’re happy to see the ‘bertuntung’ tradition for ourselves,” she said, adding that they are looking forward to the full “malam tujuh likur” spectacle on March 17.
