Many people visit Ramadan bazaars after an absence of two years

[ASEAN NOW News]

People queuing for Ramly burgers at the Ramadan bazaar next to Woodlands MRT. (Photo: CNA/Grace Yeoh)

 

SINGAPORE: Khairul Kamarudin had been helping at his parents’ stall Aliya’s Kitchen whenever they set up shop at a Ramadan bazaar reported CNA. 

 

That was until the COVID-19 pandemic stopped his routine when Ramadan bazaars were not allowed to operate. 

 

When CNA visited his parents’ stall at BazaRia Marsiling bazaar near Woodlands MRT station on Tuesday (Apr 26) evening, the 30-year-old told CNA that it was “nice to see the patrons coming back”. 

 

He missed interacting with people and now appreciates it when his former customers return to the stall. 

 

“Because people haven’t been to a bazaar for two years, now (there are more) people of all races coming down to enjoy the event,” said Khairul, on one of the differences he has observed in the crowd after two years. 

 

“People should go to any of the bazaars in Singapore, just to experience the cheerfulness, the excitement, the queues … Singaporeans love to queue right?” 

 

Several metres away from his parents’ stall, the queue for Ramly burgers extended beyond the bazaar's covered areas and only grew longer throughout the evening. 

 

Some customers at the BazaRia Marsiling bazaar expressed similar sentiments about the crowd.

 

Ishuarwin Kaur, 19, told CNA she would visit a Ramadan bazaar every year before the pandemic and even visit each bazaar a few times – "specifically for the Ramly burgers". 

 

"I think it's more crowded than (even pre-pandemic crowds). Because the hype is here (after two years of having no bazaars)," she said. 

 

In the line for Ramly burgers with her, 25-year-old Kavinath added that they visited the Geylang Serai bazaar before the SafeEntry barriers were removed on Tuesday. 

 

"That time we went, we needed to do SafeEntry. But today there's more freedom, it feels like we can roam around," he said. 

 

For sisters Syaza and Natasha, the queue for Ramly burgers was too long. They ended up with only finger food and snacks. 

 

Nonetheless, they felt the overall crowd was muted compared to the past. 

 

"Of course, (the bazaar is) on a smaller scale this year ... But (the smaller crowd) could also be since it's a Tuesday and people are also going to break fast soon. They may have already bought their food beforehand, so they've gone back home to break fast," said Syaza. 

 

Over at the Geylang Serai bazaar, first-time visitors Jiang Hao and Xuan Ling said the Ramadan bazaar met their expectations. 

 

"After the last two years of COVID-19, we wanted to find somewhere interesting to visit. So, we found this bazaar happening, and it's been quite a long time since (going out) ... with the whole COVID situation," said Jiang Hao. 

 

Fellow Ramadan bazaar first-timers should visit just to "experience the Ramadan spirit", he added.