With the movement control order (MCO) having been extended for a third time to May 12 - with the possibility of it being extended yet again - many Malaysians are expecting to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri under lockdown.
This means there will be no shopping for new Raya clothes at the malls, visiting friends and families and no Raya open houses.
But for 32-year-old Nur Afiqah Rahmat and her friends, this will not stop them from celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri together.
No, they will not be breaking the MCO.
Instead, they are celebrating it in the virtual world via "Animal Crossing: New Horizons", a video game developed by Japanese company Nintendo which was launched in late March around the same time most of the world imposed stay-at-home rules.
"Animal Crossing: New Horizons" is a life simulation video game where players assume the role of a customisable character who moves to a deserted island and is encouraged to develop it into a thriving community of anthropomorphic animals.
The game, which runs in real-time and comes with powerful customisation tools, allows players to go fishing, catch bugs, plant fruits and flowers as well as visit their friends’ islands via an Internet connection.
Nur Afiqah said when Hari Raya arrives, this will allow her to host a virtual open house at her character’s island for a group of her friends, some of whom are overseas.
“One of the girls lives in the US, my boyfriend is in the UK, another guy is a frontliner here in Malaysia...
“I thought of doing something that would get us all together for the once-a-year event […] and because Animal Crossing is all about personalisation, it really feels like you are inviting them into your house like an open house...,” she told Malaysiakini.
The group of friends have even found custom designs of traditional wear like baju kurung, baju kebaya and baju Melayu made and shared by other players in the Animal Crossing online community.
Most of these were shared in the "Animal Crossing Malaysia" Facebook group, she said.
Nur Afiqah said everyone’s characters will don one of these traditional designs for the virtual Raya open house.
On top of that, she has plans to decorate her virtual house on the island with “Raya-themed” items to add to the festivities and for photo-taking opportunities.
“(My friends were) very supportive. All of them were willing to provide (in-game) furniture and so on for the theme.
“Maybe we could even play some games like treasure hunting...,” she said.
Home alone
Nur Afiqah and her friends are not the only people who have thought about using Animal Crossing as a way to celebrate Hari Raya together with their friends.
Raja Alisya Raja Fajar, 23, said she lives alone and away from her family in Kuala Lumpur for work.
Though her family does not live far away, she decided not to travel back due to the MCO and for safety reasons.
As such, if the MCO is extended until Hari Raya, she will not be able to physically celebrate it with anyone.
“Right now, there are many of my friends who are playing the game; it is a good platform to have a gathering,” she said.
“There is news that the game might allow us to cook soon, but if the update does not happen before Raya, I will provide fruits for every guest that comes to my island.
“Everyone will have to come dressed in their Raya outfit,” she said.
In order to make the gathering more festive, she said she will also be organising some games like musical chairs or hide-and-seek as well as a barter session where people can leave an item in exchange for another.
“So my island will be open for whoever is interested to come,” Raja Alisya said.
The MCO first came into effect on March 18 and has since been extended to May 12. The two months lockdown is to combat the spread of Covid-19, a highly infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus.
In the announcement of the third extension to May 12, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said that he is not dismissing the possibility of another extension, which is another two weeks to May 26.
The first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year is expected to fall on May 24. - Mkini
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