Takbir...

For most people especially those not in Malaysia or a Muslim country, hearing takbir brings back memories of your kampung where everywhere people are preparing for the next day, Eid itself. Takbir starts the ball rolling for the ketupat to be boiled, the lemang to be lined up over the fire, the chickens to be slaughtered and made into rendang and the markets all around needed to be raided to received the sons and daughters and their broods in those places they know as kampung.

I, on the other hand, have a different version of what takbir means. I had been doing it for years before I know it actually refer to words that were said over and over again to show how we Muslims have won in so many ways including over the one month of fasting, over our enemies and over our needs. Deep stuff. Someone else can better explain it than me.

Me? Takbir is going from house to house, saying the words, a bit of tahlil and doa, before stuffing myself with food on the night before raya. This has been my modus operandi since 1979 (this is when I start remember things). Most of 1980s, it is done in my dad's kampung in Salak Tinggi where it ends at the cemetery at 4 in the morning, 3 hours before Eidilfitri prayer. In late 80s and 90s, my parents decided that their house in Taman Dato' Shahbandar have a qariah which does the same ritual. There, the takbir finished a bit earlier at 3 am and there is no cemetery visits. Nowadays, the divisions has made the time shorter for the rounds to be finished and 1am is the latest we ever finish everything. Shahbandar, being another Taman Pencen in Seremban, ensure that there is enough houses filled for the takbir. Ours are known as the house which will serve satay as the food. Still is...

My job the day before raya is to ensure the house is clean and all the carpets stashed in the closets are brought out. For nearly 10 years, I am expected to ensure those who came for takbir don't have to sit on bare floor. I usually do this alone as my parents will be in my kampung preparing the rendang et. al. Serving plates, caseroles, glasses, cups and saucers need to be taken out of cupboard and wiped clean, enough for at least 30 people. Ever try to do all this and then some, alone? The best part is I can start anytime I want, meaning I can sleep until 12pm, as long as I finish it by 6pm. That's the time the others come back.

Where are my siblings you say? I'm the youngest of 3 brothers. I'm the one trained by my mom to be the female in the house. We are 4 years apart from one to the other. Meaning my eldest is 8 years older than me and the middle is 4 years in age. I am expected to serve them during the best of times and they have the first right of refusal to not do work. As I was never not at home during raya, I'm it.

Nowadays, since the last 5,6 years, my mom has a helper and I am already married. Works are lightened. A lot. Now, the hard work is making sure the people who is doing the rounds comes to our house. This is accomplish by having a representative following the rounds to. This is where, I'm it. So, the hard work has changed from real work to eating until the seams of my baju Melayu burst. Oh, and putting back the carpets back into the closets after...

Have a good eidilfitri....