The elders still reminisce about past Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.
In the past, during the month of Ramadhan, people used to prepare Hari Raya cards by drawing it themselves, as this is especially true among teenage boys. The pictures were drawn using a dark pencil on a thick piece of paper. The completed pictures were then sent to one of the photo studios available to process the picture. Back then, the popular ones in the capital were Brunei Capital Photo Studio, Modern Photo Studio, Ann Nee Photo Studio, Salon Photo Studio, Guan Chuan Photo studio and Kong Hwa Photo studio.
Normally, the cards are decorated with greetings of 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin.' It was also filled with pictures of beautiful scenes, mosques and the lunar moon to add to the decoration. Some would also insert a photo of their favourite actor or actress.
Upon completion, the cards are ready to be sent to friends and families regardless their distance. This is always the awaited moment before the Hari Raya celebrations.
The writer recalled waiting at the residence of the village head at Kg Ayer to receive his Raya card. Excitement is seen on everyone's faces when they receive their personalised cards, especially if it is from their loved ones. Those were the days and many would still cherish and vividly remember every single moment.
The Hari Raya celebrations in the 1960s and 1970s were very different to the more recent years, perhaps due to the advent of technology, computers and various electrical advances. However, this form of 'e-greetings' are never the same as when we used to do it in the past. The cards we received and kept all these years are still readable and will always remind everyone of the good old days.
--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin