Feature: Bruneians open houses for joyful Hari Raya

At 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the normally heavily-guarded gates of the Istana Nurul Iman, the seat of power in the sultanate of Brunei, are open and a crowd is gathered at the entrance.

People dressed in their best traditional outfits, the favoured garb for formal occasions, mingle with those dressed in casual tops and jeans, taking pictures with family and friends as they wait to be escorted into buses that line the driveway to the palace.

It is the fourth day of Hari Raya, and everyone is waiting to enter the palace to celebrate the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the fasting month with royalty.

"We are going to meet His Majesty," an impeccably dressed man says as he prepares to walk the 20-minute stretch between the parking lot and the palace with his boy. "And also (in the palace), we will eat buffet."

The three-day open house at the palace, from Thursday to Saturday, is one of the highlights of celebrating Hari Raya in the sultanate. The royal residence only opens its doors to the public for three days each year, and those fall on the Eid season, which in Brunei lasts for an entire month.

For people who flock to the halls of the palace on these days, the event is a chance to meet the monarch and his family. The affair is divided into morning and afternoon sessions. In each of these sessions, the King and his family members spend a few hours with visiting guests.

"The visitors, from all walks of life, number in the thousands," Dewi Rina, who works in local media, says. According to a report from The Brunei Times, more than 100,000 people went to the Istana open house last year. Preliminary estimates by the newspaper for this year peg the number of Istana visitors at 67,000 for the first two days of the open house.

Those who go to the open house get royal treatment. "There is a special buffet prepared by the royal caterer, and before leaving the palace, guests also get a souvenir in the form of a Hari Raya card, a beautifully designed box filled with cakes and biscuits," Dewi Rina adds.

Children get green packets that contain cash.

Lavish celebrations of this kind are not limited to the palace grounds. Outside of the royal residence, receptions, though at a smaller scale than the one hosted by the Royal Family, are also organised throughout the month.

In contrast to the solemnity of Ramadhan, the Muslim month of fasting which calls for spiritual reflection and considering the needs of the less privileged, Hari Raya is "festive and merry, with bursts of energy flying around," says Zatty, a Bruneian who recently migrated to Malaysia for work.

Opening their homes to relatives, friends and strangers is an opportunity for Muslims in Brunei to share the joy of the season with their guests.

There are no rules to follow for receiving guests into homes, but a generally accepted practice is that elders get the honor of being the first to host a gathering among family members.

"Our family makes it a point to visit our elders first. So (we visit the) grandparents' homes first, where we would meet up with extended family also and have the opportunity to spend time with cousins. And then afterwards to uncles' and aunts' homes, and then to friends," says Izam, a writer and father of two.

Among those who hold open houses, there is a variation in the scope: Some households open their doors to family members, friends and those they take with them; others, to whoever happens to drop by.

"In my opinion, open houses are exactly that, open. Open to anyone from all faiths, breaking bread with the human brotherhood, all that stuff. Whoever's at the door is welcome to the open house, even the delivery guy," Hana, 33 and a mother of two, says.

Hosting an open house calls for heavy preparations, which may start during the last days of Ramadhan.

Anton Lim, executive manager at Brunei's First Emporium, notes that the days leading to Hari Raya mark the retail company's best sales period for the year.

"Like all celebrations, the preparation is the most important thing. Households will usually stock up on food and buy new clothes," he says, also noting that shoppers "also buy kitchen utensils so they can prepare their food properly during the festive period".

The expenses pile up, but for many who observe Hari Raya, breaching the monthly bill is a small price to pay for being able to celebrate the season with those they hold dear.

"Raya is the best time to strengthen relations with each other, mend broken ties and forge new ones," says Dewi Rina, whose traditions for the season include visiting the graves of relatives who have passed on during the first few days of Hari Raya.

"I look forward to spending quality time with my extended family and friends, visiting them and catching up on each other's lives."

For Izam, spending time with family during Hari Raya gives him a "feel good factor that I don't quite get anywhere else".

"I was fortunate to be brought up in a very big and close knit family... I appreciate it (Raya) for what it is, a way to be in touch with people I grew up with and also stay close with those I get along with." Endit