September 26, 2009 13:58 PM
Malaysians Enjoy Abu Dhabi Aidilfitri Bash
By Muin Abdul Majid
DUBAI, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysians from across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flocked to the Malaysian embassy in Abu Dhabi yesterday for the Aidilfitri open house and to celebrate Malaysia's 52nd National Day.
It was a well-attended affair which began at 5pm (local time), with tantalising Malaysian dishes proving to be a hit among those present.
At the start of the event, they joined ambassador Datuk Yahaya Abdul Jabar in offering the "doa selamat" (special prayer) for the well-being of the country.
The crowd also gave a spirited rendition of the "Negaraku", Malaysia's national anthem, which accompanied the flag-hoisting ceremony.
Faizel Abdul Malik, who had gone back to his hometown in Melaka for the past two years for Aidilfitri, acknowledged that celebrating Aidilfitri here was quite a different experience.
"I guess that you may feel a little bit sad to miss out on all the raya fun and tradition back home, but you make up for it by being with friends and family members who are here," said the technical and planning engineer with an Abu Dhabi-based Malaysian construction firm.
And Faizel may get to spend Aidilfitri in Malaysia in the years to come as he and his wife and child were in the midst of packing up their bags to go back to Malaysia for good soon.
Joining in the merriment at the Malaysian mission was Chin Iun Jing, a chef who has been working in Abu Dhabi for the past two months.
"It's good to be here to meet fellow Malaysians and of course enjoy the food," said the Chinese cuisine expert who had previously worked in places like Ireland, New Zealand as well as on board a cruise liner.
A Chinese national who spent three years studying and working in Malaysia, and insisted that her Malaysian friends brought her to the embassy open house to relive her memories of spending Aidilfitri in the Southeast Asian nation.
Originally from China's northwest region of Xinjiang, she told Bernama that celebrating Aidilfitri Malaysian-style was such an exciting experience, with people throwing open their doors to friends and foreigners alike.
"And I love it when they play the evergreen raya songs as I feel like I'm still in Malaysia," she said.
Clearly elated with the large turnout, Malaysian envoy Yahaya said he was heartened to see Malaysians of all creeds and races coming together to celebrate Aidilfitri and national day in a genuine spirit of camaraderie.
"We may have some issues to resolve back home but as far as the Malaysian community in the UAE is concerned, I feel that the spirit of friendship and togetherness is still very much alive," he said.
The ambassador also lauded Malaysians who had continued the open house tradition in this Gulf state, saying that this had allowed fellow Malaysians to savour a slice of the Malaysian Aidilfitri experience in the desert sands of the UAE.
For more photos of the event, kindly click here.
-- BERNAMA