Kelantan; Traditions and Values

Hi guys and girls, how are you? I am still in my holiday mood so let me compose a blog post about my short but sweet semester break okay? It all happened two weeks ago when I was stranded in KL Sentral for nearly four hours due to the train delay. I arrived home at 10 AM on Saturday and my mother dropped a bombshell that we were going to Kelantan at 4 PM on the same day, imagine that! So we travelled back to Kampung Alor Pasir, Wakaf Bharu and it was a truly smooth drive; less car and the weather was great alhamdulillah.

Well I did nothing much at my grandparents’ house; just laze around watching “Pretty Little Liars” on my laptop and sleep most of the time. My grandfather is still a fit and healthy police retiree but my grandmother is quite sick of old age. That is my grandparent’s house...a typical Malay home in Kelantan but full with fond memories of our families. The best thing about this house is the “perigi atau telaga” (or well) that is still being used to pump out freezing water from underneath the ground! Seriously, it is the best feeling that you can find when you are having your shower with “air perigi” and it is good for your health too. 

                        

 

I was very naughty when I was a kid; I pour cups of washing detergents into the “perigi” until all of us cannot use the water for three days; imagine bubbles coming out of the tap when you were washing your dishes on the sink. Don’t ask me about the kind of punishment I received from my grandparents and my own folks; I am not proud of becoming so mischievous at that time okay.

Well...people come and people go; they get married and start a nuclear family leaving their folks at home. At times this place is just too quiet; no sound of children crying or screaming because they are far away secluded in the city. This kampung will only be filled with cars and people only on “kenduri kahwin”, “hari raya” and even funerals; it is sad how it is. I wonder how these villagers cope with the silence; most of them are past 60 years old and their kids are busy growing up that they forgot their parents are growing old.

Nevertheless, this is a truly beautiful and serene “kampung”; I have so many stories to share but it might take a whole year to scribble blog posts about this place. I am pleased to have the blood of Kelantan warriors within me and be a part of a state that put on importance to traditions and values. It is a really humble state with its modest people reaching out to the verge of development without denying the fact that traditions must come along the way; the art of exchanging wise gifts.

P/S: Why “wise gifts”? Because some people shy away from traditions in the name of urbanisation; they have forgotten their roots and where they came from...a note to self. Like the famous shadow puppet show “wayang kulit”, the heritage fades away and some new generations are reluctant to learn and continue the legacy. Maybe one day “wayang kulit” can only be seen among the state museum’s collections merely as exhibits and not as a show.

:Glossary:

Traditions            : tradisi

Values                : nilai

Compose               : menulis

Stranded              : terkandas

Delay                 : tergendala

Dropped a bombshell   : memberitahu perkara mengejutkan

Laze around           : memalaskan diri

Police retiree        : pesara police

Sick of old age       : sakit tua

Typical               : biasa

Fond                  : bahagia

Pump out              : mengepam

Underneath            : dari bawah

Pour cups             : menuang bercawan-cawan

Washing detergents    : cecair pencuci pakaian

Tap                   : paip

Dishes                : pinggan-mangkuk

Punishment            : hukuman

Folks                 : ibu bapa, warga tua

Mischievous           : nakal

Nuclear family        : keluarga besar

At times              : kadang-kadang

Secluded              : terperap, terkurung

Be filled             : akan dipenuhi

Funerals              : pengebumian

Cope                  : bertahan

Silence               : kesunyian

Are past              : lebih daripada

Scribble              : merangka, menulis

Pleased               : bangga, bahagia

Within me             : dalam diri saya

Put on importance     : meletakkan kepentingan

Humble                : merendah diri

State                 : negeri

Modest                : sederhana

Verge                 : sempadan, hujung

Without               : tanpa

Denying               : menafikan

Exchanging            : bertukar-tukar

Wise                  : bijak

Gifts                 : hadiah

Shy away              : lari daripada, tidak mengakui

Urbanisation          : proses pembandaran

Have forgotten        : telah melupakan

Roots                 : asal-usul

Heritage              : warisan

Fade away             : semakin menghilang

Reluctant             : tidak sanggup, tidak mahu

Continue              : meneruskan

Legacy                : warisan

Collections           : koleksi-koleksi

Merely                : semata-mata

Exhibits              : bahan pertunjukan

Show                  : persembahan