Our mums share their home celebration plans for Hari Raya this year.
This Hari Raya Puasa, our favourite mums share their plans for celebrating this festive occasion, via Zoom or video calls, while still embracing their cherished traditions. While families are unable to go visiting this year, our mums share their plans for their home celebrations. These will be filled with their favourite dishes and traditions as well as spending virtual quality time with their families.
Our Mums
Malaque Mahdaly with her husband and two adorable children, dressed in a monochromatic colour scheme.
Mum of two, Malaque Mahdaly, runs Chulop!, a snack bar specialising in selling fresh churros with artisanal premium dips. Her passions include travelling as well as whipping up amazing dishes like her decadent french toast and gula melaka no-bake cheesecake.
Nadiah’s family of four dressed up in matching navy hues.
Television and film actor and host Nadiah M Din has been in more than 40 local and overseas productions. The award-winning actor is also mum to two adorable children and champions social causes such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which protects those that have been displaced from their homes.
Suria television actress and host Ainon Talib and her family in similar shades of pink and peach for their Hari Raya celebration last year.
Another prolific mum is television actress and host Ainon Talib, who currently works as an administrator at Chiltern House. The mum of two girls also works out regularly at 1-HABIT Studio.
Founder and creative director of Maison Q, Suhana Ab puts together family outfits in complementary colours - this year’s theme is white and grey.
Founder and creative director of Maison Q, a homegrown kidswear label that features reversible designs in happy prints, Suhana Ab is also a mum of three. Suhana, too, is an avid traveller, and has visited places like Italy, Sweden and Jordan.
How have you been preparing for this year’s Hari Raya Puasa
Malaque Mahdaly: Prep wise, it’s definitely lesser than previous years. We haven’t gotten any new home decor stuff but Raya apparels are still a must to look our best for Hari Raya!
Nadiah M Din: To be honest, this year I must say will be the simplest celebration at home in the comfort of our own space with our children. Food wise, we will also prepare some dishes but not too extravagantly as well. I am very glad because my mum told us, “Don’t worry, I will send you guys some home made rendang and sambal goreng to enjoy.”
Ainon Talib: Initially, given the circuit breaker situation, I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate this year. But I have amazing colleagues who decided to do a video montage and a kueh exchange which definitely brought us back into the celebratory mood. Aside from that, the cooking of dishes and spring cleaning still goes on.
Suhana Ab: I’d like to think of ourselves as minimalist. That is because for years, my husband and I are usually very busy with running a month-long pop-up at the Geylang Bazaar where we launch our yearly capsule collection for Raya. This often means late nights and long, tired days. I always put things together at the last minute, including outfits for my family. My husband, Fadhil, doesn’t quite like the whole identical thing. So, I try to get creative and find a complementary theme or colour instead. We will dress in identical or similar colours but our outfits are of different styles. This year we are going for white and grey, except for my newborn and only because someone bought the outfit that I had intended for him. It is a job hazard, sales comes first. Baby can wear something else. Haha!
How do you intend to Celebrate Hari Raya Puasa this year?
MM: We are in the midst of working out a schedule of Zoom Hari Raya meetings with family and friends. This is going to be exciting as we will still be dressing our best for the sessions.
NMD: Indeed, we plan to have a Zoom call. We will also set up a timing for everyone to come live and all of us will make the effort to look as if we were having the real celebration together. I must say, this is actually quite interesting as it’s the first time we’ll be doing this! There’s always a first time for everything.
SA: Even though we are not going out this year, I still want to maintain a sense of normalcy for my kids. Naturally, that is dressing up in Raya clothes. I think this is important for them as so many other things around them have changed. We will do #ootds and my kids will get their Raya money. I have also ordered lemang (traditional glutinous rice) and rendang for the family to eat at home. And we will most definitely video call the people we love. Why? To show off our Maison Q family outfits of course.
What will you miss most this year?
MM: Definitely visiting our friends and family. All the gatherings and catching up over good food and great moments of laughter.
NMD: I will definitely miss the gatherings at my mum’s place. This is where all my siblings will gather and we normally take this chance to speak from our hearts and laugh together as a family. Not forgetting, the never-ending photoshoots too. I will also miss eating the whole range of Raya food prepared by my mother. Trust me, it is too good.
AT: Ironically, I will miss this circuit breaker period the most. This period has allowed me to spend time with my children as well as my family members, which in my case, is a precious amount of time.
SA: In recent years we have established a Raya Brunch tradition where we invite our family and friends over in small groups for morning tea or coffee with pastries from my favourite halal bakery, Konditori at Bussorah Street. The menu veers a little from tradition but we figured that all other homes serve the traditional Malay dishes such as rendang and lontong and this would be a nice change for guests. We will miss this! Hopefully the regulations ease a little for us to do this.
What are your must-have treats every year?
MM: Lontong and the works are a must for us. Other than that, we always serve cheese or grazing platters. A bit unconventional for Hari Raya but it has become our own little tradition.
AT: Fortunately I have been able to perfect my marble cake recipe as well as my sticky date pudding! I look forward to all the treats made by my dear colleagues as well.
SA: Raya is an excuse to indulge in anything Nutella. Our favourite is the Nutella roll or what we call tapak kuda, a soft Swiss-roll like cake with an indulgent Nutella centre. Nutella tarts are also very popular in my household. They are made in a similar style to the traditional pineapple tarts except that the filling is pure Nutella.
Relevant Reads: Recipes to Break Fast with This Ramadan
Our mums share their home celebration plans for Hari Raya this year.
This Hari Raya Puasa, our favourite mums share their plans for celebrating this festive occasion, via Zoom or video calls, while still embracing their cherished traditions. While families are unable to go visiting this year, our mums share their plans for their home celebrations. These will be filled with their favourite dishes and traditions as well as spending virtual quality time with their families.
Our Mums
Malaque Mahdaly with her husband and two adorable children, dressed in a monochromatic colour scheme.
Mum of two, Malaque Mahdaly, runs Chulop!, a snack bar specialising in selling fresh churros with artisanal premium dips. Her passions include travelling as well as whipping up amazing dishes like her decadent french toast and gula melaka no-bake cheesecake.
Nadiah’s family of four dressed up in matching navy hues.
Television and film actor and host Nadiah M Din has been in more than 40 local and overseas productions. The award-winning actor is also mum to two adorable children and champions social causes such as the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which protects those that have been displaced from their homes.
Suria television actress and host Ainon Talib and her family in similar shades of pink and peach for their Hari Raya celebration last year.
Another prolific mum is television actress and host Ainon Talib, who currently works as an administrator at Chiltern House. The mum of two girls also works out regularly at 1-HABIT Studio.
Founder and creative director of Maison Q, Suhana Ab puts together family outfits in complementary colours - this year’s theme is white and grey.
Founder and creative director of Maison Q, a homegrown kidswear label that features reversible designs in happy prints, Suhana Ab is also a mum of three. Suhana, too, is an avid traveller, and has visited places like Italy, Sweden and Jordan.
How have you been preparing for this year’s Hari Raya Puasa
Malaque Mahdaly: Prep wise, it’s definitely lesser than previous years. We haven’t gotten any new home decor stuff but Raya apparels are still a must to look our best for Hari Raya!
Nadiah M Din: To be honest, this year I must say will be the simplest celebration at home in the comfort of our own space with our children. Food wise, we will also prepare some dishes but not too extravagantly as well. I am very glad because my mum told us, “Don’t worry, I will send you guys some home made rendang and sambal goreng to enjoy.”
Ainon Talib: Initially, given the circuit breaker situation, I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate this year. But I have amazing colleagues who decided to do a video montage and a kueh exchange which definitely brought us back into the celebratory mood. Aside from that, the cooking of dishes and spring cleaning still goes on.
Suhana Ab: I’d like to think of ourselves as minimalist. That is because for years, my husband and I are usually very busy with running a month-long pop-up at the Geylang Bazaar where we launch our yearly capsule collection for Raya. This often means late nights and long, tired days. I always put things together at the last minute, including outfits for my family. My husband, Fadhil, doesn’t quite like the whole identical thing. So, I try to get creative and find a complementary theme or colour instead. We will dress in identical or similar colours but our outfits are of different styles. This year we are going for white and grey, except for my newborn and only because someone bought the outfit that I had intended for him. It is a job hazard, sales comes first. Baby can wear something else. Haha!
How do you intend to Celebrate Hari Raya Puasa this year?
MM: We are in the midst of working out a schedule of Zoom Hari Raya meetings with family and friends. This is going to be exciting as we will still be dressing our best for the sessions.
NMD: Indeed, we plan to have a Zoom call. We will also set up a timing for everyone to come live and all of us will make the effort to look as if we were having the real celebration together. I must say, this is actually quite interesting as it’s the first time we’ll be doing this! There’s always a first time for everything.
SA: Even though we are not going out this year, I still want to maintain a sense of normalcy for my kids. Naturally, that is dressing up in Raya clothes. I think this is important for them as so many other things around them have changed. We will do #ootds and my kids will get their Raya money. I have also ordered lemang (traditional glutinous rice) and rendang for the family to eat at home. And we will most definitely video call the people we love. Why? To show off our Maison Q family outfits of course.
What will you miss most this year?
MM: Definitely visiting our friends and family. All the gatherings and catching up over good food and great moments of laughter.
NMD: I will definitely miss the gatherings at my mum’s place. This is where all my siblings will gather and we normally take this chance to speak from our hearts and laugh together as a family. Not forgetting, the never-ending photoshoots too. I will also miss eating the whole range of Raya food prepared by my mother. Trust me, it is too good.
AT: Ironically, I will miss this circuit breaker period the most. This period has allowed me to spend time with my children as well as my family members, which in my case, is a precious amount of time.
SA: In recent years we have established a Raya Brunch tradition where we invite our family and friends over in small groups for morning tea or coffee with pastries from my favourite halal bakery, Konditori at Bussorah Street. The menu veers a little from tradition but we figured that all other homes serve the traditional Malay dishes such as rendang and lontong and this would be a nice change for guests. We will miss this! Hopefully the regulations ease a little for us to do this.
What are your must-have treats every year?
MM: Lontong and the works are a must for us. Other than that, we always serve cheese or grazing platters. A bit unconventional for Hari Raya but it has become our own little tradition.
AT: Fortunately I have been able to perfect my marble cake recipe as well as my sticky date pudding! I look forward to all the treats made by my dear colleagues as well.
SA: Raya is an excuse to indulge in anything Nutella. Our favourite is the Nutella roll or what we call tapak kuda, a soft Swiss-roll like cake with an indulgent Nutella centre. Nutella tarts are also very popular in my household. They are made in a similar style to the traditional pineapple tarts except that the filling is pure Nutella.
Relevant Reads: Recipes to Break Fast with This Ramadan
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