This is my first time celebrating Eid Adha n Bangkok, Thailand. The home environment in Thailand is almost the same like in Malaysia where all family members will gathers at night and wake up in the morning by 6am to get ready preparing for dishes and then go to pray for Eid sholat at 8.30am in the masjid.
Masjid view at Min Buri District, Bangkok
Eid Breakfast in Bangkok
We had family breakfast at 7.30am. The Thai’s eat rice for breakfast every day and its a full dish of red curry, fried fish, fried chicken with additional of curry noodles and sticky rice.
Green Curry Noodle, Sticky Rice with banana, Sticky Rice wiht beans, Fried Fish, Steam Fish paste, Kiam Som Sour Hot Prawn
Deep Fried SavouryFish paste
Steam Fish paste
Deep Fried Chicken
Eid Prayer at Masjid
We leave home to masjid at 8.30am. Since there are many masjid in Min Buri province, we choose the next to our home to do Eid Sholat. The masjid has 2 storeys. The men pray at the first floor and ladies on the second floor. I think probably about 600-700 ladies here on the second floor. I guessed the men coming for prayer would be around 1200. All the talk by the imam is in Thai language.
Funny things is that I look like the Thai but when they talk to me in masjid I could not understand. Only some words i knew. I think in this area I am the only Malaysian here. Mostly are all Muslim Min Buri residence. The ladies here like to wear colourful dresses and hijab. Its a big feast here .
After the prayer, food is served for free for all. I saw adults and kids queuing for Coconut Ice Cream, Sweet coconut dessert porridge, Curry noodle and drinks.
Hospitality here is superb especially when they know you are a foreigner. The Thai’s is very hospitable, friendly and a bit shy. Language is a barrier here but we try to communicate using body language, sign language and google translate. Not many able to speak English. The young one able to understand some simple English but mainly most of them speak Thai. The Thai’s are very patriotic. In most home will have some pictures of the King of Thailand as a respect and national flags.
Going to Cemetery
After pray, families will go to the cemetery to visit their loves one whom had passed away. At the cemetery, I saw many families recite some surah Quran. Its just a few minutes visits to the cemetery.
Visiting Family & Friends
We went visiting to some family homes to strengthen the families ties. During the visits host families will served drinks and Thai food. Mainly, sticky rice is served.
Sticky Rice with banana
Miang kam Salad
At Home
We then went home, and chat among the family and some come to home for visiting.
Some men stay at the masjid area where the qurban is being done.
Qurban
Since the host family owns a beef factory, this year the family does qurban for 6 cows ( approx 1.8tonne of meat) to be segregated to the muslim and the needy here in Min Buri province.
The beef is been packed 1kg each and also 1kg of rice is packed for sedekah (giveaways).
About 1000 people’s came to the beef factory compound to take the qurban beef and rice.
The delivery of qurban giveaways takes about 6 hours to finished.
Distributing of beef and rice
1 kg Qurban Beef
I kg Rice
Gathering & Quran Reciting
Family , friends, neighbours and people from the masjid has been invited to the host house to recite Quran. Food been prepared and served by family and closed friends.
Overall, the Muslim community environment in Thai is similar to Malaysia. The people, the food and culture. Both country are very similar in culture. Even some of the Muslim Thai words are same as Malay.
Selamat Hari Raya – Eid Mubarak
Tok Imam – Imam
Ayah – Dad
Mak – Mom
Abang – Brother
