The Hari Raya Puasa decorations are up at Gurney Plaza, bringing the festive mood to shoppers at the shopping mall. This year’s decoration is themed Kota Raya Gurney, depicting a charming small town in Penang in the 1970s.
At the centre of the decoration is a stage named Panggung Wayang Gurney (Gurney Cinema), which will be used for performances in the coming weeks as Hari Raya Puasa approaches. One such performance is the wayang kulit (puppet-show play), a unique Malay cultural performance. There is a ticket counter on the side of the stage, very much like the ones found in old Penang cinemas (and in old cinemas across Malaysia), before the advent of today’s cineplexes.
There are various traditional shops/stalls depicted in the Hari Raya decorations, including a gold shop (kedai emas), barber shop (kedai gunting rambut), tailor shop, biscuit shop, sweet stall, and others. The barber poles with the rotating red, white, and blue stripes bring back memories of the olden days.
There is also a warung with tables and chairs. I am fascinated by the F&N soft drink bottles on display. I used to drink these during my childhood.
Other items on display are a Honda Cub C70 motorcycle, a Vespa scooter, an old bicycle, public telephone booth, popcorn stall, and ketupat hanging from the top.
Overall, the Hari Raya Puasa decorations at Gurney Plaza this year is simple, yet it brings back nostalgic feelings of yesteryears. It is worth spending some time here when visiting Gurney Plaza in the coming weeks, leading to the Hari Raya Puasa festival.
