Memories of Past Ramadans (and Eidul Fitr)

My first memory of Eid ul Fitr would be back in the late sixties. I would have been 4-5 yrs old, and I was the youngest back then. One particular day, my parents were up early, and I had cold shower and got dressed with the best that we had. It was in the morning, and sat with my mother at the back of my father's bike. We went to my grandparents' house at Batu Enam. My grandfather's house was on stilt, painted greenish white with leaf windows. It had outer section, 'emper', the roof was made of nipah leaves, and the main living room was roomy with high roof. I thought my grandfather's house was cool and swanky, because it has wooden walls, instead of walls made of nipah leaves like our house. And the wooden leaf windows and walls were painted too.

I remember my cousins Munasir and the late Haji Sakuri as young boys about my size. I remember being shy and always hide behind my late father. I was aftraid to come near my grandfather Haji Daud. Everyone else 'salam' my grandfather, hold his hand and said something like, "Patang kulo kaleh sampean.." in Jawa halus, asking forgiveness, usually the younger person will go to the older ones.
I didnt, I just hide behind my father..very much afraid of my grandfather and all others, my uncles and aunties.

Later on I went inside in search of my mother, she was sitting and talking to my aunties and my grandmother, next to a big wooden box with black metal with small holes. I asked my mother, what was that? "Sound" she said. Only years later I figure out that it was speaker box.

The best food during Eid in those days was 'ketupat', rice boiled in young coconut leaves, eaten with chicken curry. One of 'kuih' sweetmeat that I remember was glutinous rice flour, mixed with sugar and pressed hard into fancy shapes.

I shall continue later with memories from other years.