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Traveloka SG

06 Jun 2016 - 7 min read

Raya Checklist 2016: 10 Things You Need to Do To Make It Awesome

The holy month is here again and in just a month’s time, Muslims all around the world will be celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, or “Raya” as we call it here in Malaysia. Are you celebrating it too? Well here’s this year’s Raya checklist – we’ve listed down 10 things you need to do to make it AWESOME!

1. Complete the one-month fast

Complete the one-month fast

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Every year Muslims all around the world celebrate Ramadan to commemorate the day when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran – a significant practice which is also one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Prior to Hari Raya, Malaysian Muslims will complete the fasting month, and doing that always leaves them with a sense of peace and accomplishment.

2. Plan early for your flight home

Plan early for your flight home

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The perfect Raya is the kind that you can enjoy to the fullest. It is a once-in-a-year celebration after all. Why not take a flight back home this year instead of driving back home? Balik in style! Taking a flight back home means you’ll get to skip the crowd and save time on travelling. Hari Raya is one of the busiest times of the year. We recommend you to fly, simply because there are plenty of flight deals these days. Start by checkingout cheap flights on www.traveloka.com!

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When you get cheap flight deals, you save money. The money you get to save can be used for other things, say, a return ticket to your dream Raya getaway. Remember, when you save time, you get to spend more quality time with your loved ones too. Be a smart traveller and a smart spender this holiday.

3. Window shopping before shopping

Window shopping before shopping

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Shopping and window shopping are both delightful, and they’re even better during festive season! That’s because sale is everywhere! Window shopping before shopping is great because you get to do price comparisons before you decide on what to purchase and where to purchase them. Thanks to e-commerce, one does not need to go out in order to do window shopping or shopping. You can do it from the comfort of your home!

During festive seasons, you also get to survey prices and find the best deals. Some deals are so rare that you’ll need to grab them before they run out! It’s more fun when you get to share them with your loved ones. For example, buying Raya clothes for yourself and your relatives at amazing discounts!

4. Make a list of what to buy for Raya

Make a list of what to buy for Raya

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Before Raya, the malls are usually packed with people. That’s because some of us are already window shopping or doing early shopping for the festive season. Time is gold. To make good use of your time, making a list of things to buy for Raya would be helpful. Otherwise, you may get distracted by so many things you’d like to buy but don’t actually need. You can start planning on what to buy for yourself and your loved ones now and like many others, you can also choose to buy things online via eBay, Zalora, Lazada, IKEA and many more.

If you’re going to have your Raya outfit tailored this year, don’t wait until the very last minute to avoid any disappointment. Tailors are typically busy around this time; so are bakers. If you intend to order Raya cookies or “Biskut Raya”, pre-order them in advance so that you won’t run out of cookies!

5. Clean the house

Clean the house

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Raya or not, cleaning the house should always be a priority, especially if you’re planning to have guests over at your house. Give your house a makeover – do some spring cleaning and add new decorations! Perhaps, get some new furniture too? If you’ve got unused or old things lying around the house, get rid of them. That way you make more space for your house and give it a breath of fresh air. Cluttered space is also unhealthy and can make one unnecessarily stressed up. Tip: If you’re putting out some of your old things, consider giving them away for charity. Whilst many of us don’t always have time to be involved in activities such as charity, this is just one of the ways that you can give back to society (of course, make sure you’re giving away things that are still useful!).

6. Get all work done before the long holiday begins

Get all work done before the long holiday begins

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To fully enjoy your Raya holiday, it’s always best to get all your work done beforehand. If you’re working full-time, discuss with your superior about your upcoming holiday and how you can manage your workload before you leave. You don’t ever want unfinished tasks to ruin your holiday, right? It’s not fun being haunted by unfinished tasks in your head when everyone else is enjoying Raya to the fullest. Be clear about the number of off-days you’re allowed to take. Plan and manage your workload wisely. That way, even when you’re not around, any project of which you’re involved in will still run smoothly. No stress!

Planning your workload also affects your journey home. For some, taking an early holiday will help them skip traffic congestion as most people will be heading to their hometown two days or a day before the holiday. Can’t do that? No worries. Take a cheap flight at Traveloka instead. Tip: Book your flight early before flight deals end!

7. Prepare “Duit Raya”

Prepare “Duit Raya”

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Everyone loves Duit Raya, especially little children. You’ve gone through that stage too, so you’d understand that feeling! It’s a plus if you could give more duit raya to others. But before giving out, evaluate what you have first. You shouldn’t give out what you can’t afford to lose. Likewise, if you could save on a lot of things, there’s more to give to your loved ones, right? That’s why you should always take into account of your spending. If you can save, why waste?

8. Learn some new Raya songs

Learn some new Raya songs

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Yeah, why not? You may already know some of the popular ones like “Balik Kampung” and “Selamat Hari Raya”, but learning new ones won’t hurt, right? Let’s support our local music scene! During Raya, listen to both the old and new songs on your way to your friends’ homes. Also, if your friends happen to be in the car with you and began singing Raya songs you’ve never heard about, you wouldn’t feel left out! Oh, you’ve got to do better than your non-Muslim friends. Many of them know how to sing Raya songs too! 1Malaysia lah, kan?

9. Join your family for some cooking sessions

 Join your family for some cooking sessions

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Remember the good old days when you used to play “masak-masak” with your friends? Such childhood memory will motivate you to also join your family for some fun cooking sessions! It’s not just about keeping the tradition, but it’s also about family bonding. During Ramadan, many Malay families would bake cakes and biscuits together. It’s not surprising that even before Raya, many of our Malay friends would return to their hometown to help their families make biskut raya.

If you get to go home earlier than the rest, why not join your family and relatives in Raya preparations? For example, you can help out in making Rendang and Ketupat as well as putting up decorations. Tip: If you fly back home, you might have enough time to join the rest of your family in the preparations!

10. Don’t worry, be happy, Raya tiba setahun sekali

 Don’t worry, be happy, Raya tiba setahun sekali

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Even if you are facing personal issues during this season (like anyone else around you), it’s always important to maintain a positive attitude, and positive attitude comes from a positive mind. Don’t worry, be happy, as Bob Marley said. Furthermore, Raya comes once in a year. Your Muslim brothers and sisters are all looking forward to Raya too. During this season of forgiveness, let’s spread positive vibes and happiness! Selamat Hari Raya! :)

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