No shame in wearing old Baju Melayu to celebrate Raya

Recently, this writer was able to spend time at Jalan TAR to buy Raya essentials.

At first, there was a need to find a new pair of Baju Melayu to wear on the first Eid.

This writer went from one shop to another, excited to see the different types and colours of Baju Melayu that are attractive to the eye.

The only thing that is not attractive is that the price is beyond the budget this writer, with some apparel reaching up to RM299 a pair.

This writer tried to find Baju Melayu that was a little cheaper.

Some indeed sold it at about RM120 to RM150, but the quality was not up to par.

If the price was below RM120, one could only get a kurta.

This writer thought, how about a family with five children?

If one were to follow the rough calculation, at least RM1,500 were needed for a complete set of Baju Raya attire; a pair of baju melayu, samping, songkok or baju kurung and tudung for women.

No wonder people are shopping wisely this year.

The atmosphere in the clothing store was not as lively as last year's Raya.

Most of those who came only window-shopped.

The same went for this writer, after wandering around the shopping area for more than two hours, I finally returned empty-handed, without buying anything at all.

This writer decided to wear his old Baju Melayu that is already in the closet for Raya later.

The clothes are still in good quality and barely used. The money is better spent on other important things.

After all, in this inconsistent economy, people could not care less about our Raya clothes whether they are new or not.

There is no need to be ashamed about it because one can still celebrate Aidilfitri with joy and happiness.