Celebrity newlyweds celebrate their first Hari Raya Haji

Three pairs of celebrity newly-weds share how they will be celebrating their first Hari Raya Haji, which is today, as married couples

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He is no stranger to how the Muslim community here celebrates Hari Raya Haji even though he converted to Islam only last October.

Having lived in Singapore for the past seven years, Mr Bilal Jeanpierre, 30, who married local actress Nadiah M. Din last month after dating for two years, is well-accustomed to many Malay and Muslim traditions and customs.

The client engagement manager, who is a French national, finds the way Muslims here celebrate Hari Raya Haji more familiar as the celebrations are short.

It is unlike Hari Raya Puasa, when celebrations can go on for weeks. Nadiah, 26, told The New Paper: "Eid celebrations usually last only a couple of days in Europe, so Hari Raya Haji celebrations are more to Bilal's tastes."

The couple plan to spend their first Hari Raya Haji as a married couple at Nadiah's aunt's home with the rest of her family.

They also spent yesterday helping Nadiah's mother to cook.

Nadiah said: "Bilal said he wanted to help out in the kitchen, so that was a first experience for him."

FAMILY

Mr Jeanpierre told TNP: "This is my second time celebrating Hari Raya Haji, so I know what to expect.

"I am looking forward to spending precious time with family, and remembering God together."

As for the tradition of sacrificing animals such as sheep and lamb, Mr Jeanpierre said he would like to perform the korban himself someday.

"The process is more complicated than people think, so I hope to learn all about it and try it myself in the future," he said.

Nadiah added that she feels blessed that her husband is always trying to learn more about Islam.

"I am very blessed that he is so humble and adapts very easily," she said.

No big plans after hectic year

Newly-weds Sezairi Sezali, 29, and Syaza Qistina Tan, 25, have no big plans for this Hari Raya Haji even though it is their first time celebrating it as a married couple.

The pair, who held their wedding reception last month at the SAF Yacht Club in Changi after getting married in January, plan on spending today visiting Sezairi's parents and eating with their families.

Sezairi, who won Singapore Idol 3, told The New Paper: "It has been a while since we celebrated a special occasion at my parents' place since Hari Raya Puasa was celebrated at my grandmother's house."

The couple live in Pasir Ris with Ms Syaza's mother and younger sister.

SACRIFICE

Sezairi has never performed the korban, but he is able to recall visiting his grandmother's house in Johor when he was younger to help out with the sacrificing.

With a smile, he said: "I will not be doing it this year because I do not think I would have the guts, but who knows in the future?"

But if there is one thing he is looking forward to, it is starting his own traditions with Ms Syaza.

He said: "It has been a pretty hectic year with the wedding just over. We still have not really settled in to our new lives together.

"Visiting the elders would be a nice place to start."

Instead of honeymoon couple spends Hari Raya Haji with relatives

Local singer-actor Aliff Aziz's mother was in tears as he walked through the door for his marriage solemnisation.

"I could not help myself," Madam Siti Hafizah Sheikh Mohamad told The New Paper.

"It has been a long journey not just for Aliff, but for the whole family.

"I was so proud to see my son in his baju kurung and about to take the next big step in his life."

Madam Siti gave Aliff a hug and shared a few words with him before he took his vows in front of family and close friends on Friday morning in Kuala Lumpur.

"I told him that he would always have my blessing," said Madam Siti. "At that point, he reassured me and told me not to worry."

The 25-year-old had gone through a rough patch with his mother after he was caught on the wrong side of the law twice in 2014 - when he punched a Malaysian hotel employee and when he was summoned to court for the theft of two mobile phones.

Without going into details, Aliff told TNP that he and his mother "did not talk for quite some time" because Madam Siti was "very angry" with him.

Madam Siti said: "At the end of the day, he is still my child, no matter what he does, and I have long forgiven him for his mistakes.

"I am very honest with him and I tell him as it is without any no sugar coating. I am that tough love kind of parent and sometimes, young adults his age do not want to hear it.

"But he is my firstborn and I will always love him no matter what he does."

After dating for almost two years and being engaged for nine months, Aliff and Malaysian broadcasting undergraduate Dayang Ara Nabellah Awang Astillah, 22, took their marriage vows and held a wedding reception for about 1,000 guests at the Top Glove Tower in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Aliff, who spoke to TNP yesterday afternoon, said: "I was so nervous. The walk down the aisle was the longest I have ever made in my life."

Aliff and his wife, who is known as Bella to friends and family, walked into the ballroom to a tune with bagpipes. The music then changed to US singer Christina Perri's award-winning hit A Thousand Years.

"The entire walk was a good four minutes and I had to continuously maintain a smile while my nerves acted up,"Aliff said with a laugh.

"And I could tell that my wife was also extremely nervous, especially with the many cameras around us.

"I am glad we did not trip and fall especially with Bella's dress being so heavy." Even though two days has passed, Aliff said it still has yet to sink in that he is now married.

SURREAL

"It is just so surreal," he said.

"Maybe because I am still very tired from the whole thing and my mind has not been able to quite grasp it just yet."

Instead of going on a honeymoon immediately, the couple revealed yesterday that they are planning on heading to Singapore to celebrate Hari Raya Haji today.

"Bella and I might drive back to Singapore to celebrate Haji with my family and visit relatives who were not able to make it for the wedding," Aliff said.

"After spending two nights there, we will come back to KL before heading to Sandakan (a town in Sabah) to visit Bella's family."

Amid the many family-visiting plans, Aliff said he is "most excited about just one thing".

"I am so eager to embark on this journey with my wife and our future family," he said.

"It is going to be amazing and I could not have asked for more."

This article was first published on Sept 12, 2016.
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