MALAYSIANS CELEBRATE HARI RAYA IN FRANKFURT WITH GREAT FERVOUR

By Manik Mehta

FRANKFURT, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysians turned out in large numbers to
celebrate with great fervour the traditional Hari Raya in Frankfurt on Saturday
evening.

Held in one of the most unusual settings -- the celebrations were held in
the Cosmopolitan Restaurant at the busy central railway station of Frankfurt --
the event drew crowds from around the country.

Originally expecting only 150 guests, the number swelled to nearly 300.

The guests were treated to a delightful array of Malaysian delicacies which
included rendang, ayam masak merah, nasi himpit, kuah kacang, dodol and lontong
among others.

The event, jointly organised by the Malaysian Club Deutschland and the
Malaysian consulate general in Frankfurt, was the first major event that
afforded Malaysian consul general John Samuel an opportunity to introduce
himself to the cheering crowds at the celebration.

Samuel took up his post about five months back.


Also present at the event was Samuel's wife, Karen George, who has working
behind the scene to support her husband and also lead the Perwakilan association
which, as she put it, "comprises of dedicated women who work for the good of
Malaysia".

In an interview with Bernama at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant, Karen said that
she was impressed by the fervour displayed by the Malaysian community to
celebrate the Hari Raya.

Indeed, Malaysia's multicultural face -- in keeping with the 1Malaysia motto
-- was evident as Malaysians of different races joined hands to celebrate the
event.

"My passion right now is to learn German and induct myself into the
mainstream of activities here. I realise that without knowing the language, I
would be just scratching the surface of Germany and miss out on the big
picture," she said.

-- BERNAMA