A Cause for Celebration! Singer Yuna’s Stylish Eid al-Fitr in Malaysia Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna1/13It’s something that I do every year—every Ramadan to be exact—taking an 18-hour flight back home to Malaysia from Los Angeles. I’m born and raised in Malaysia, and Ramadan and Eid has always been my favorite time of the year. We would fast during Ramadan for a month and then celebrate Eid with family and friends, so for me, it's always important for me to be home with the family this time of the year. I can't wait to see them!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna2/13The best part about spending Ramadan with my family is breaking fast with them. Malaysian food, to me, is the best food in the world. It’s rich in flavor and the dishes are so unique, you really can never find it anywhere else in the world. During Ramadan, Muslims who observe the holiday would fast from sunrise till sundown for 29 or 30 days. The idea is not to starve yourself, but merely to withdraw for a little bit from your desires, and think of people from all around the world who are not as fortunate. Muslims are advised to make donations, and do good deeds during this holy month and continue the gesture throughout the whole year if they can. Tonight is the final night Ramadan, and I’ve invited my relatives and friends to come over to my new home to break our fast together. I’ve missed this so much—it's definitely better than breaking fast alone at home in my apartment in Los Angeles!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna3/13For Eid, or Raya as the Malaysians call it, we love to shop for new clothes for the festive season. There will be open houses to go to, and Malaysians love to look good for these. Since fabric is so cheap in my country, we shop for material and get our dresses custom made, especially the traditional dresses. Today I’m going to the city with my friend Hatta to find some fabric for a baju kebaya. Hatta is a talented designer based in Kuala Lumpur and the perks of having him as one of your best friends is that he can make the best dresses for you! I wanted a simple, modern kebaya for myself, so I picked satin as the inner dress in copper, and a light warm pink French lace as the outer piece. I’m excited to see what Hatta is going to come up with!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna4/13Hatta is a talented designer based in Kuala Lumpur and the perks of having him as one of your best friends is that he can make the best dresses for you! I wanted a simple, modern kebaya for myself, so I picked satin as the inner dress in copper, and a light warm pink French lace as the outer piece. I’m excited to see what Hatta is going to come up with!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna5/13Shopping for Raya can be a lot of work, but I love it. This is our first time celebrating Eid at our new home in Shah Alam, Selangor, and relatives will be coming over. So we need to stock up on food, drinks and snacks!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna6/13I recently discovered a new love for Dior makeup. I love their products and thought I should treat myself to some!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna7/13Just before our guests arrive, I make sure everything in the house is in order. Since we recently moved into a new house, the space looks pretty empty. I decided to decorate the living room wall with some old baby photos, and the photos I took of my parents in Turkey. We cleaned the house, moved furniture around, and put cookies into a cookie jars. We are almost ready for the first day of Eid!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna8/13Eid is here! On the first day it is a custom for all Malaysian Muslims to ask for forgiveness from our parents. We kiss their hands and wish them “Selamat Hari Raya” or “Eid Mubarak.” “Maaf Zahir dan Batin” means “to apologize in spirit and actions.”
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna9/13For the first day of Eid I wanted to experiment with my outfit and wear the printed Japanese kimono that I bought from Dee as a kebarung (a traditional top normally worn by Malay women), with a belt, and a batik skirt that I bought from a local traditional clothing store in Kuala Lumpur.
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna10/13On the second day of Eid my parents and I drove up north to my grandmother’s place in Kuala Kangsar District, Perak, to spend time with her and my relatives. Her house is located in a small village and I always loved going back to her place as it is surrounded by a lot of trees—mostly banana trees. I’m wearing a modern baju kurung by Hatta Dolmat’s Raya 2016 collectsion. I love the print that he created for his line, which was hand-drawn by Hatta himself. I styled it with a more traditional hijab that my mother got for me.
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna11/13Today is more relaxed. We are spending time at home with the family, and once in a while guests would come over to visit my grandmother, who is currently living with us. I'm wearing the dress that Hatta made for me from the fabric we shopped for before Eid, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I feel like I could even wear this as an engagement dress—it is too pretty! Maybe one day when the time comes . . . we shall see!
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna12/13The celebration continues! More friends came to visit and we had food and drinks until 2 in the morning! I grew up in a town called Subang Jaya, and made a lot of friends from around Kuala Lumpur. Some I haven’t seen in years, so the house Raya party is a perfect time to reconnect.
Photo: Courtesy of Yuna13/13One of my favorite things to do when I’m back in Kuala Lumpur is to go and visit my talented artist friend Nawwar Shukriah. Here, I’m hanging out at her colorful home studio wearing Hatta Dolmat’s long cardigan and Syomir Izwa’s skirt.
