Hari Raya fun weekend at Malay Heritage Centre before revamp

Before the Malay Heritage Centre in Kampong Glam gets a revamp later this year, there will be one last hurrah to celebrate the last weekend of Hari Raya.

Visitors to the centre's open house from tomorrow to Sunday will be treated to live performances, art installations, craft workshops and storytelling sessions for children, among other activities.

One highlight is Fesyen Forward, an art installation on the various styles of kebayas in the 1950s and 1960s.

They include the one-piece kebaya made popular by artistes from the 1960s like Sarimah and Mariani, who wore them in the popular film Madu Tiga, directed by P. Ramlee.

Its design was inspired by evening gowns but the shape is still based on the traditional kebaya.

Illustrator, designer and visual artist Nur Hafizah Jainal, 33, said it is the first time her artwork featuring the dressing of Malay women in the 1950s and 1960s will be shown to the public.

"I would love visitors to be exposed to how rich and diverse traditional Malay fashion is through viewing Fesyen Forward. As the title of the installation suggests, Malay women of the past and present aren't confined to the baju kurung. We can still honour our tradition without hindering our progress or ambitions," she said.

It was done in collaboration with Ms Delfina Utomo, 34, an editor at Time Out Singapore, who created personas for the women in the traditional clothing.

This year's celebrations, titled #LastKopekRayaFest, or the last stretch of Hari Raya celebrations, will take place on-site as well as online, serving up a plethora of programmes and activities.

Another highlight includes a one-hour storytelling session by bilingual author Rilla Melati Bahri, 49, who will share a story about a boy named Ramdan who commemorates a very special Hari Raya, based on her latest 2022 children's festive tale picture-book.

Ms Rilla, the founder of Mini Monsters Singapore, a bilingual Malay-English enrichment and education provider, said: "My hope is for parents and children to love the Malay language and stories with local flavour.

"We have Raya fashion, Raya kuih, Raya songs, but Raya story books?"

She will hold four such sessions, two in English and two in Malay, at $15 per parent-and-child pair.

Admission to most other programmes is free.

Visitors to the open house on Saturday night can also expect a lively atmosphere and singalongs to iconic Hari Raya songs with performances by Malay dance groups, Dian Dancers and Mak Mak Menari (M3), and live singing sessions of sentimental songs including those by Malaysian singer-actress Siti Nurhaliza.

Other activities include craft workshops where participants can try their hand at wood block printing and take home a pouch they painted themselves or customise colour-changing Hari Raya envelopes.

Registration for on-site programmes is on a first-come-first-served basis at malayheritage centre.peatix.com

A full list of programmes can be found on the Malay Heritage Centre website at malayheritage. gov.sg