Terengganu folks missing the Ramadan mood of previous years
KUALA TERENGGANU: Shafuan Shafie remembers the time when he would stand on Bukit Panorama here and he could see thousands of Terengganu folks on the beach, waiting for the fireworks which mark the time for the break-of-fast in the month of Ramadan.
But that view is now a memory, not seen this year following the imposition of the Movement Control Order to break the chain of COVID-19 infection which requires Malaysians to stay indoors.
A pyrotechnics supervisor in a private company, Shafuan, 34, said he gets emotional seeing public places like Dataran Syahbandar, the open area near the drawbridge, and Dataran Batu Buruk now quiet and empty.
“I also read on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp the postings by many people who miss the atmosphere in those days, as they watched the fireworks display which signal the time for Maghrib prayers and the break-of-fast.
“But there is nothing we can do about it. The MCO is important for everyone’s safety, although I don’t see the crowds now, I know many people are at home, waiting for the sound of the fireworks….that helps a bit,” he told Bernama.
The fireworks display is a tradition in Terengganu in the month of Ramadan to mark the time for the break-of-fast and the start of fasting each day.
Reaching 350 metres high, the fireworks could be seen up as far as seven kilometres radius while the sound could be heard up to 15 kilometres away.
Shafuan said the company where he works, Red Flame Special Effects Sdn Bhd which is based in Kuala Lumpur, has been handling the fireworks display on Bukig Pak Apil for 14 years now.
“Every day in Ramadan, I will be at the peak of the hill by 6.45 p.m. and 4.30 a.m. to light the fireworks and this will go on until Syawal 7 for the benefit of the public.
“I hope this is the last Ramadan that is so quiet…hopefully this pandemic ends soon so that we can once again enjoy the Ramadan mood,” he said.
— BERNAMA
