KUALA LUMPUR: The Muslims in the country celebrated Aidilfitri today in a lively atmosphere.
Mosques and surau were filled with congregants who brought along their family members, all decked in bright and colourful Raya clothes, to perform the Aidilfitri prayers after two years of muted celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aidilfitri, a joyous occasion for Muslims as it marks the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan, is celebrated almost as normal as pre-pandemic with many taking the opportunity to visit relatives and enjoy delicious Raya dishes after 'balik kampung' (return to hometowns) to celebrate the special day with their loved ones.
This year's Aidilfitri was celebrated during the transition to the endemic phase period which saw the relaxation of the standard operating procedures (SOP).
In Kuala Lumpur, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah performed Aidilfitri prayers at the Federal Territory Mosque here.
Also present with about 7,000 congregants filling the mosque's prayer hall were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Cabinet ministers.
In Putrajaya, a congregation of more than 3,000 performed the Aidilfitri prayers at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque.
In Pahang, Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah performed the Aiditfitri prayers at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah Mosque, Temerloh.
In Melaka, Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam performed the prayers with thousands of congregants at the Al-Azim Mosque, Bukit Palah while in Penang, cloudy weather with occasional rain did not stop about 5,000 Muslims from performing the Aidilfitri prayers with Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak at the Penang State Mosque.
In Selangor, more than 15,000 Muslims performed the Aidilfitri prayers at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque, Shah Alam, and some of them came as early as 7 am.
In Johor, Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and his wife Datin Sharmin Fazlina Mohd Shukor performed the Aidilfitri prayers with more than 1,000 congregants at the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque.
Meanwhile, traffic is reported to be slow-moving on several stretches of the highways this afternoon as people took the opportunity to 'balik kampung' after performing the Aidilfitri prayers.
According to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Twitter page, the north-bound traffic is reported to be slow-moving before the Rawang South Toll Plaza; from Bukit Beruntung to Bukit Tafar; from Slim River to Sungkai; and from the Menora Tunnel to Sungai Perak.
Traffic is also slow-moving due to the increase in the number of vehicles plying towards the east coast at the Gombak Toll Plaza and 4.4 kilometres before the Genting Sempah Tunnel and from Gombak to Genting Sempah rest and service (R&R) area.
In addition, at the Johor Causeway, the north-bound traffic is reported to be slow-moving from Singapore to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building. — BERNAMA