KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians across the country jumped into activating their final Hari Raya preparations last night, soon after learning that the first day of Aidilfitri would be celebrated today.
Social media was immediately flooded with many posts of people expressing their shock, as well as scrambling around to gather fresh produce among other ingredients for panic rendang cooking sessions.
Joining in the beautiful chaos was Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who took to his Facebook page to jokingly note that it would be a busy night for everyone in the kitchen tonight.
"Melancholy fills us all as we bid goodbye to Ramadan while excitedly welcoming Syawal. There is no bigger hope than to meet this month of a thousand blessings again next year, inshaAllah.
"The moment we most look forward to after two years of not being able to celebrate Hari Raya with families and friends came to visit us tomorrow, as fellow Muslims celebrate Aidilfitri.
"But some, maybe are still on their way back to hometown. Seems like it'll be a busy night in the kitchen as some probably may not have started cooking lemang or ketupat.
"In the light of welcoming Syawal, my family and I humbly ask for forgiveness from the bottom of our hearts. Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri," said the post.
Other social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram were flooded with people updating each other on their panic-Raya preparations.
While many others were surprised to learn that Raya will be celebrated a day earlier than expected, one Twitter user @faizalhamssin tweeted "Tonight, we'll see how awesome our moms are in crisis management!" in reaction to the news.
Fellow Twitter users chimed in with words and pictures describing these memorable night-before-Raya moments in their house, relating to one another in chaos, while wishing fellow Malaysians 'Selamat Hari Raya'.
Photos of Raya preparations also began flooding other social media platforms such as Instagram, where people were seen to be queueing up at Raya bazaar looking for songkok, or sitting in groups, filling up bamboo with glutinous rice, to be served in the morning, as part of common Raya traditions.
According to some tweets, the last time Hari Raya was celebrated earlier than expected was in 1982, in Perak and Johor, when the new moon was sighted a day earlier.
Twitter user @kayown shared an old news clipping of the situation that had happened in 1982.
He was responding to a tweet from local journalist @ibrahimsaninet tweet who asked, 'Eid in Malaysia is tomorrow, 2nd May. When was the last time this happened?
It was also reported late last night that the PLUS highway northbound, was filled with vehicles heading home to make it on time for Hari Raya today.