The majority of Muslims in three Southeast Asian countries celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri* (Eid al-Fitr outside Southeast Asia) in 2016, according to an online survey* by
YouGov conducted in early July 2016 in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Indonesia has the highest percentage of Muslims** (88%) among the three countries, and 76% of the respondents said they planned to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year. In Malaysia, where six out of 10 people are Muslim, 65% of respondents said they plan to celebrate Hari Raya. In Singapore, where 16% of the population is Muslim, 27% of respondents planned to celebrate Hari Raya, suggesting that a proportion of non-Muslims are also celebrating the holiday.
Among those who planned to celebrate Hari Raya, the top three activities in Indonesia and Malaysia were being with family and loved ones (95% in Indonesia and 93% in Malaysia), visiting relatives and friends (72% in Indonesia and 76% in Malaysia), and attending communal prayers at the mosque (76% in Indonesia and 64% in Malaysia). In Singapore, being with family and loved ones is the top activity (74%) and visiting relatives and friends (54%) remains one of the most common ways to celebrate Hari Raya. Less than 40% of respondents plan to attend communal prayers at the mosque (36%), which would also align with the trend of non-Muslims celebrating the holiday. People in Singapore like feasting with traditional delicacies (53%), sending greetings to relatives and friends (43%), or giving children token sums of money (38%).
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| Source: YouGov infographic. Worship is the top value underlying Hari Raya for Indonesians, whereas empathy for the poor is the top value for Malaysia and Singapore. |
In Indonesia and Malaysia, a significant number of respondents (20% in Indonesia and 13% in Malaysia) like Hari Raya because it is a time to reflect and remind themselves of the important values of life. Over half of the respondents in Indonesia think worship (56%) is the most important, then comes to steadfastness (15%), and empathy for the poor (11%); while respondents from Malaysia think empathy for the poor is the most important (28%), followed by patience (18%) and worship (16%). In Singapore, 28% respondents think empathy for the poor is the most important, then it is worship (19%) and patience (10%).
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| Lontong on the upper left and ketupat in the middle. |
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| Home-made beef rendang. |
Festive foods include ketupat (rice cooked in a wrap woven from coconut leaves) is the favourite food during Hari Raya period for respondents from Indonesia; while rendang (meat cooked with spices and coconut milk until almost dry) is the favourite food during Hari Raya among respondents from both Malaysia and Singapore.
For Hari Raya this year, over half of respondents in Malaysia (51%) plan to go back to their hometown for celebration, and over 70% of them (74%) visit their hometown every year during this period of time. In terms of transportation, over 70% of respondents (72%) drive their own car / motorcycle to visit their hometown. Almost one in five fly home (19%). In Indonesia, four out of 10 respondents (41%) plan to go back to their hometown this year for Hari Raya and over half of respondents (53%) visit their hometown every year during this period of time. Most people drive their own car / motorcycle (44%) or fly (28%) to visit their hometown. In Singapore, which is a city-state, fewer than 10% of respondents (9%) plan to go back to their hometown during this period of time. Over 60% of them said they are already in their hometown.
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*Data was collected among YouGov’s panelists from 2 July to 8 July 2016 and was weighted to be representative of online population. Sample size: Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (Total n = 3,020; with Indonesia: 1,015; Malaysia: 1,004; Singapore: 1,001)
**Figures from http://www.muslimpopulation.com/asia/
