Bandar Seri Begawan- Hari Raya open houses continue to be in full swing as people everywhere took advantage of the long weekend to visit family and catch up with old and new friends.
Visiting friends and relatives has become the norm, especially during Hari Raya, and it still continues to this day. The actual practice of visiting friends and relatives is encouraged in Islam and this message is not only confined to Muslims but is the same in every religion. It is said that one‘s "iman", or faith, would not be perfect if relationships are not strengthened.
The practice of visiting one another is one of the best ways to strengthen relationships amongst ourselves. It could also weave family relations closer for those who live abroad and between those in conflict with others.
At this time of Hari Raya, Filipino, Chinese and Indian friends, regardless of differences in religion come over to their Muslim friends‘ houses to celebrate the auspicious and happy occasion. Relatives from as far as Kuching, Miri and Limbang have to endure the long queues at the border for almost three to four hours to cross over into Brunei just to visit their relatives here.
Haji Ahmad, with his family from Limbang, told the Bulletin, "I don‘t mind having to queue for almost three hours at the border between Brunei and Limbang as long as my family can visit our relatives in Brunei and every year I experience the same situation. What I only hope for is that the governments of both countries look into this matter quickly, so at least, in a few years to come, traffic flow would be faster and people from both countries can benefit from it."
Another Limbang resident, Dayang Mastura said, "I am really happy that my family can visit our family in Brunei but we never have enough time and we are always in a hurry to go back to Limbang because of hopes of avoiding getting stuck in a long queue at the border."
"It is quite tiring spending two to three hours in the car, queuing to the checkpoint and even more when we have to bring babies and small children along. Leaving a bit earlier can at least save us from queuing for an extra hour. However, we always have to say sorry to some of our relatives whom we cannot manage to visit," she added.
Ms Aillien from the Philippines said, "I really enjoy visiting our Muslim friends and hopefully next year it will be great to have a lot of Muslim friends who can share the sweet memories with our family and friends in the Philippines.
The biggest difference between celebrating Christmas for us, and Hari Raya is that you give green packets to children." she explained with a smile. "My children are very happy to get the green packet."
Source: http://www.brudirect.com (October 07, 2008)