KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Celebrating Hari Raya away from home is never easy, but when you are thousands of kilometres away on a mission to provide for your loved ones, it’s essential to recreate a sense of “home” to keep you going.
Twenty-five-year-old Bangladeshi national Mohd Salemusa Khan, who has been working in Malaysia since 2018 as a waiter, said his early years of celebrating Aidilfitri here were hard, as he struggled with being away from his family.
“I came here when I was just 18 years old, and I remember that I used to cry, especially during the first three years of celebrating Hari Raya here because I missed my family,” said Salemusa, who works at a restaurant in KL.
Salemusa said his colleagues would often comfort him during those early years.
“I remember some of my colleagues at that time would ask me what was wrong.
“They would calm me down by reminding me that I still have a job and I still get my salary in full,” he said.
As of late 2025, there are approximately 2.13 million registered foreign workers currently working in Malaysia.
Out of that figure, around 800,000 or 37 per cent of them are made up of workers from Bangladesh — making it one of the country’s largest migrant worker communities.
As years passed, Salemusa adapted to his situation and developed a new Hari Raya tradition with his fellow Bangladeshis in Kuala Lumpur.
They would meet for Raya prayers before gathering later at his home in Taman Kok Lian for a festive meal.
Among Bangladeshis, must-have Raya dishes include briyani and mutton curry, along with the traditional Bengali dessert Shemai — made from vermicelli noodles roasted in ghee and simmered in milk with sugar, cardamom and cinnamon.
“This Shemai is a staple food for us, especially after Raya prayers, and it is normally served when you get home to your parents or grandparents.
“It is sweet and it’s a must-serve dish, especially during festive seasons,” he said.
When it comes to Raya outfits, Salemusa said he often buys new kurtas for the occasion, usually shopping with friends in Brickfields.
“I remember when I was working in one of the Giant hypermarkets in KL, my boss there would provide us with Baju Melayu for our Raya outfit,” Salemusa said.
“Although my boss at the time was an Indian, he would almost always provide us with Baju Raya or food during every festive season.
“One time, he bought us two types of Baju Raya where one was the traditional Baju Melayu and the other one was a kurta, and he would ask us to wear the Baju Melayu during the first day of Raya and the kurta on the second day,” he added.
Moshen, a 35-year-old cleaner who has been working in KL for 11 years, shared that apart from having some of his friends come over for Raya meals, he also video-calls his family every Raya morning.
With the streets of KL usually almost empty during the festive season, Moshen uses the chance to take his family sightseeing via his mobile phone.
“Sometimes I would go to KLCC, sometimes Pasar Seni. There’s a river there, so I would just walk around the area while talking to my family.
“It felt really good and it also helps me cope with being away from them for so long,” he said.
Moshen added that this will be his last Hari Raya as a bachelor, as he is set to go back home in May to get married during Hari Raya Haji.
When asked about his preferred spots for Raya shopping and Bangladeshi food, Moshen pointed to the stretch along Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin in KL, across from Mydin Sinar Kota, which has plenty of shops to choose from.
There are also several butcher shops along Lorong Pudu where he gets his beef and poultry.
As for Mohd Julhash, 34, and Zainal Abidin, 28, both cleaners at a shopping mall in KL, they said that although they have had to work on the first day of Raya over the past three years, they still make time to celebrate.
Fortunately, they only work half a day during Raya, usually spending the morning feasting with friends before clocking in for their evening shift.
Both also still find time to shop for Raya, although each has his own preferences.
For Julhash, he usually “imports” his Raya outfit from back home by asking his family members to pass his Raya outfit to fellow countrymen who are coming to KL, and he pays them a small fee for it.
Zainal prefers to shop physically around KL, spending between RM150 to RM500 just for Raya shopping, which includes buying a new pair of shoes and pants, a T-shirt, and his traditional outfit, which this year is a full set of kurta complete with churidar-style pants.
“Celebrating Hari Raya in KL is not so much different than back home, apart from being away from our families.
“Go for Raya prayers in the morning, then come home and eat with friends and then go to work — plus we’re working in a shopping mall and shopping malls still operate as usual during Hari Raya,” Julhash said.
Malay Mail – Malaysia
