For 23-year-old Nur Anis Najwa Khairuddin, the festive season is less about scrambling at the eleventh hour and more about careful planning.
“I usually do my preparations even before Ramadan,” she said, explaining that her job at a festive biscuit shop leaves little room for planning during the fasting month.
This year is no different.
With most of her essentials sorted, she is now focused on the final checklist before heading back to Muar, Johor.
“There isn’t much left to prepare since my family has already done most of it back in Muar.
“I just need to pick up a few items here and make sure everything is packed, as I plan to start my journey early tomorrow morning,” she said yesterday.
For others, however, the journey home has been far more hectic.
Wan Nur Aina Alia Jehnfrey, 25, described a whirlwind few days as her family rushed to make it back to Kelantan in time for the celebrations.
“We started the journey right after breaking fast on Thursday night because we didn’t want to risk missing the first day of Raya if it fell on Friday,” she said.
Although the official announcement confirmed that Hari Raya falls on Saturday, the urgency had already set in.
“It gave us more breathing room, but it was still quite a rush.
“Usually, we would return to our kampung a few days before Hari Raya, but this year, some of my siblings and I couldn’t get leave,” Wan Nur Aina said, adding that she arrived yesterday.
For management assistant Aisha Mohd Yusof, 39, Raya celebrations this year will be simpler.
“In the years we celebrate in Johor, there’s always more to do, such as decorating and preparing for an open house with friends and family.
“This year, however, we will be spending the first day in my husband’s village in Pahang before heading to my hometown in Terengganu on the second day,” she shared.
With no open house planned at their Johor residence, the usual bustle of hosting has been replaced by a lighter, more relaxed approach.
“Since we’re celebrating back in our hometowns, there’s really not much to prepare here,” she said.
