By Jennee Grace U. Rubrico
In Brunei, Filipinos take part in the month-long Eid celebrations
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei -- On the second day of the Muslim holiday of Eid, Liza, the wife of a Filipino journalist working in Brunei went to the residence of reigning monarch Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to attend a royal banquet.
Dressed in blouse and jeans on that sunny day, she and her teenage daughter Zaki got off at the gates of the Istana Nurul Iman, the Leandro-Locsin designed royal residence, and boarded a shuttle that took them to an area within the palace grounds that was prepared for the feast.
“We arrived at 9:30 a.m. We only got delayed when we were boarding the bus. There was some pushing, but when we got inside, there was no queue for the food,” said Liza, whose family is experiencing Eid in Brunei for the first time.
After getting their fill of the traditional Malay dishes prepared by the royal caterer, the mother and daughter pair joined the queue to the Palace halls, where guests were to meet the monarch and his wife, Queen Saleha. By tradition, adults were to receive souvenirs, and children, green money packets at the meet-and-greet session.
Just a few meters shy of the entrance, however, Liza and Zaki were asked to leave the queue.
“We were not able to get in, because we were in jeans... Everyone else was in their traditional outfits,” Liza said.
Missing the chance to rub shoulders with Bruneian royalty during her first visit to the Istana, Liza nevertheless has other opportunities to meet them in the future: the session that she and thousands of residents and tourists in Brunei attended that day was the first of six that were organized for the three-day Istana Open House, which the Royal Family hosts annually to celebrate Eid, the Islamic holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.
Perhaps underscoring the importance of Eid in the sultanate, it is only during these three days that the 200,000-square meter Istana, which holds the Guinness world record for being the largest residence of a state head, opens its doors to the public. Every year, more than 100,000 people visit the Istana over the three-day period to see the Royal Family, take part in the banquet, and receive gifts.
Officially, Brunei blocks off three working days to mark Eid, but celebrations for the holiday -- that is also referred to as Hari Raya -- run for a month in the kingdom of 400,000 people.
Like the locals, the 23,000 Filipinos in the country also see Eid as a time for merrymaking and good cheer.
“For me, Raya is like New Year’s for the Muslims and it is something to celebrate,” said John, a Filipino who has been working at the Istana’s maintenance department for the last five years.
During the month-long holiday, Filipinos attend open houses hosted by their Muslim friends and relatives.
“For Raya, I go to the open houses I am invited to,” said Rudolf Portillo, a photojournalist who has lived in Brunei for 20 years. “They usually serve traditional food, and they are delicious.”
Some go to open houses out of courtesy, while others see it as a chance to learn more about the culture of their host country.
“Raya open houses help non-Muslims understand the Malay culture. It shows us how they celebrate with their family, friends and colleagues,” John said.
Apart from serving traditional food like beef rendang (beef covered in spicy sauce), satay andkueh (Malay rice cakes), open houses also allow visitors a glimpse of their hosts’ homes and familial ties. During open houses, the hosts, dressed in their best traditional garb, entertain the visitors that fill their residences from morning until evening, while children play with their cousins.
Those who cannot get enough of the traditional food served in open houses -- or those who simply want to try more -- also flock to Brunei’s food markets, which sell all kinds of local delicacies at affordable prices all year round.
“[For Raya] I’ve been going to the night markets with my husband to try the food,” said Liza.
Filipinos working in Brunei also see the three-day Eid holiday as a welcome opportunity to rest, catch up with housework or visit friends.
“If the break is long, I plan a trip back to the Philippines,” said a Filipino IT practitioner who declined to be named.
Meanwhile, Filipinos also see it as the best time to go shopping in the sultanate, since the weeks leading to Eid also usher in sale season, with discounts for items ranging from cosmetics to kitchenware going for as deep as 70%.
“Raya sales are an opportunity for me to have some savings due to discounts. It helps by allowing me to stock up on home goods,” said John.
If Filipinos in the sultanate find it easy to take part in the Eid celebrations, it may be because the festive atmosphere that prevails in the country mirrors that of the Philippines’ biggest holiday.
Asked to describe her first Eid in Brunei, Liza says: “It’s like Christmas in the Philippines. There’s a festival of food, there’s a festival of thanksgiving.”
“We arrived at 9:30 a.m. We only got delayed when we were boarding the bus. There was some pushing, but when we got inside, there was no queue for the food,” said Liza, whose family is experiencing Eid in Brunei for the first time.
After getting their fill of the traditional Malay dishes prepared by the royal caterer, the mother and daughter pair joined the queue to the Palace halls, where guests were to meet the monarch and his wife, Queen Saleha. By tradition, adults were to receive souvenirs, and children, green money packets at the meet-and-greet session.
Just a few meters shy of the entrance, however, Liza and Zaki were asked to leave the queue.
“We were not able to get in, because we were in jeans... Everyone else was in their traditional outfits,” Liza said.
Missing the chance to rub shoulders with Bruneian royalty during her first visit to the Istana, Liza nevertheless has other opportunities to meet them in the future: the session that she and thousands of residents and tourists in Brunei attended that day was the first of six that were organized for the three-day Istana Open House, which the Royal Family hosts annually to celebrate Eid, the Islamic holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.
Perhaps underscoring the importance of Eid in the sultanate, it is only during these three days that the 200,000-square meter Istana, which holds the Guinness world record for being the largest residence of a state head, opens its doors to the public. Every year, more than 100,000 people visit the Istana over the three-day period to see the Royal Family, take part in the banquet, and receive gifts.
Officially, Brunei blocks off three working days to mark Eid, but celebrations for the holiday -- that is also referred to as Hari Raya -- run for a month in the kingdom of 400,000 people.
Like the locals, the 23,000 Filipinos in the country also see Eid as a time for merrymaking and good cheer.
“For me, Raya is like New Year’s for the Muslims and it is something to celebrate,” said John, a Filipino who has been working at the Istana’s maintenance department for the last five years.
During the month-long holiday, Filipinos attend open houses hosted by their Muslim friends and relatives.
“For Raya, I go to the open houses I am invited to,” said Rudolf Portillo, a photojournalist who has lived in Brunei for 20 years. “They usually serve traditional food, and they are delicious.”
Some go to open houses out of courtesy, while others see it as a chance to learn more about the culture of their host country.
“Raya open houses help non-Muslims understand the Malay culture. It shows us how they celebrate with their family, friends and colleagues,” John said.
Apart from serving traditional food like beef rendang (beef covered in spicy sauce), satay andkueh (Malay rice cakes), open houses also allow visitors a glimpse of their hosts’ homes and familial ties. During open houses, the hosts, dressed in their best traditional garb, entertain the visitors that fill their residences from morning until evening, while children play with their cousins.
Those who cannot get enough of the traditional food served in open houses -- or those who simply want to try more -- also flock to Brunei’s food markets, which sell all kinds of local delicacies at affordable prices all year round.
“[For Raya] I’ve been going to the night markets with my husband to try the food,” said Liza.
Filipinos working in Brunei also see the three-day Eid holiday as a welcome opportunity to rest, catch up with housework or visit friends.
“If the break is long, I plan a trip back to the Philippines,” said a Filipino IT practitioner who declined to be named.
Meanwhile, Filipinos also see it as the best time to go shopping in the sultanate, since the weeks leading to Eid also usher in sale season, with discounts for items ranging from cosmetics to kitchenware going for as deep as 70%.
“Raya sales are an opportunity for me to have some savings due to discounts. It helps by allowing me to stock up on home goods,” said John.
If Filipinos in the sultanate find it easy to take part in the Eid celebrations, it may be because the festive atmosphere that prevails in the country mirrors that of the Philippines’ biggest holiday.
Asked to describe her first Eid in Brunei, Liza says: “It’s like Christmas in the Philippines. There’s a festival of food, there’s a festival of thanksgiving.”
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