BREAKING OF FAST: RAMADAN BAZAARS CONTINUE TO PULL IN THE CROWD

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Every year during the fasting month, Ramadan bazaars nationwide continue to be a major attraction for the public to buy various types of food, whether traditional or modern, for the breaking of fast.

It’s no different in the capital city, with the Ramadan bazaar at Kampung Baru one of the most popular locations among city folks to take advantage of on the first day of this year’s Ramadan, which coincidentally falls on a weekend.

A visitor, 26-year-old Damia, when met by Bernama, was simply excited and impressed by the size of the bazaar as well as its cleanliness.

"This is my first time coming to the Kampung Baru bazaar... it is very big. So far, the food prices are very reasonable and it's clean. It's also not crowded, so I can walk around leisurely and look for food,” she said.

In SELANGOR, visitors began converging on the Shah Alam Stadium Ramadan Bazaar at 3 pm despite its 4 pm to 8 pm operating hours.

A Bernama survey found that although the city’s iconic bazaar was relocated from its previous site around the Shah Alam Stadium before it was demolished last year, it still managed to attract a large number of visitors who continued to shop for iftar meals there.

In PUTRAJAYA, the atmosphere at the Presint 3 Ramadan Bazaar, which has 290 stalls, was lively with members of the public turning up as early as 4 pm to buy dishes for the breaking of fast.

The survey also found that many visitors brought recyclable bags, which is an indication of the growing awareness about the importance of environmental protection among the public.

Meanwhile, in KEDAH, the public took the opportunity to visit the Ramadan bazaar as the first day of Ramadan was declared a public holiday in the state.

A survey at the Simpang Empat Ramadan Bazaar, near Alor Setar, found some visitors arriving as early as 4 pm to browse and buy various types of iftar food and drinks.

In JOHOR, not even the light rain could prevent residents from visiting the Ramadan bazaar at Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Bahru, as they turned up as early as 4 pm to get whatever dishes they wanted for the breaking of fast, including martabak and roti john, which are popular among visitors.

In SARAWAK, the Satok Ramadan bazaar continued to be the main pick among visitors, with a Bernama survey on the first day of Ramadan finding the bazaar packed with visitors.

Although food prices were up by between RM1 and RM2, they failed to deter the visitors from seeking out traditional cakes that could only be found during Ramadan and the vendors were also attentive to the cleanliness of their stalls.

In  TAWAU, Sabah, the Bataras Ramadan bazaar in Batu 3, was one of the popular spots for residents looking for dishes to break their fast, with most people opting for traditional cakes, bubur pisang hijau, burasak, and nasi kuning berlauk.

In TERENGGANU, the survey found a slight increase in food prices this year compared to last year, due to rising costs of raw materials, with the price of chicken rising from RM26 per chicken last year to RM28; ikan percik from RM8 per fish to RM10; and traditional cakes from RM3 per pack to RM4.

In KELANTAN, a drinks seller at the Taman Bendahara Bazaar in Pengkalan Chepa, 51-year-old Karimah Yusoff said he sells about 20 types of drinks at RM4 per pack, including coconut water, apple juice, corn juice, air bandung, honey pineapple lychee juice, grape juice and iced tea.

Karimah, who has been trading at the Ramadan bazaar for the past five years, said although there has been a slight increase in the price of goods between RM1 and RM1.50, including cordial and condensed milk, he still sold the drinks at the same price as in previous years.

-- BERNAMA