Traditional Hari Raya food: An insight from three Malay women generations - Theory and Practice in Hospitality and Tourism Research - page 505

Traditional Hari Raya food: An insight from three Malay
women generations

M.S.M. Sharif, M.S.M. Zahari, R. Muhammad & N.M. Nor
Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

ABSTRACT: Festival food refers to the food prepares and served particularly during culture and reli-
gious celebrations. A specific Malay traditional food is seen to be a major contributor in making the
Malay Muslim religious celebration like Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Hari Raya Aidil Adha be more lively
and happening besides other religious activities. It is becoming a long tradition that woman regardless
generations are the important individuals besides man who are dealing with traditional Hari Raya food
preparation. Traditional Hari Raya food is in fact to have brought significant meaning to the Malays
women generations in celebrating the religious festive celebration. Through the interview, this paper quali-
tatively describes the insightful meaning of traditional Hari Raya food from three Malay women genera-
tions that were obtained from a study on understanding the process of Malay traditional Hari Raya food
knowledge transfer within the three generations Malay women or mothers. Two specific themes on the
meaning of traditional Malay Hari Raya food were identified from the response during the interview
session. Women regardless generations strongly attached to traditional Hari Raya food which were long
being practiced and commonly accepted by the Malay communities for generations.

Keywords : Malay ethnic, Malay generation, Malay traditional food, women

1 INTRODUCTION

many others. In this sense, festival food refers to
the traditional food prepared and served particu-
larly during either culture, and religious festivals or
celebrations. In the context of Malay ethnic, festi-
val food refers to the traditional food prepared and
served for the Hari Raya celebration. Muhammad
et al. (2009) asserted a specific Malay traditional
food are seen to be a major contributor in making
the Malay Muslim religious celebration like Hari
Aidil Fitri and Hari Raya Aidil Adha more lively
and happening besides other religious activities.
In fact, Hari Raya will look dull and monotonous
without the present of traditional Hari Raya food
(Kamaruddin, Zahari, Radzi & Ahmat, 2010). Not
to exaggerate that it is becoming a long tradition
for woman regardless generations, they were the
important individuals besides man who are dealing
or responsible with the traditional Hari Raya food
preparation. They are in fact as a central figure
that leads the family for traditional Hari Raya food
preparation (Muhammad, Zahari, Kamaruddin &
Ahmat, 2013). Based on this statement, the tradi-
tional Hari Raya food is argued to have brought
significant meaning to the Malays women genera-
tions. This paper is therefore qualitatively describes
the meaning of traditional Hari Raya food from
three different Malay women generations.

Ethnic festival foods have long been recognized
as the integrative force that enhances solidarity
and alliances between individuals and kin groups
(Gunaratnam, 2001). It becomes a bonding mech-
anism not only for the family but also among
the communities. These foods were created by
the older generations using the natural resources
or any consumable things available in their area
with different types of cooking methods, equip-
ments and eating decorum (Chapman, Ristovski-
Slijepcevic & Beagan, 2010). These food treasures
in turn have contributed to the uniqueness of eth-
nic food festival for the later generations. Festival's
food provides communities with opportunities to
build the relationship and togetherness, promote
the area of utilizing for particular foods (Dales-
sio, 2007), ingredients, cooking styles and local
environments.
In Malaysia, Jalis, Zahari, Zulkifly, and Oth-
man (2009) posited that most the traditional food
for each of the major and minority ethnic groups
are derived or synonym with either religious fes-
tival or cultural events and activities such as Hari
Raya, Chinese New Year, Thaipusam, Deepavali
and Gawai, Kecamatan, wedding reception and