By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, March 24: Attendees looking forward to ‘buka puasa’ (breaking fast) in a mass picnic at Padang Merdeka yesterday (March 23) failed to achieve their desire when heavy rain drenched the earth about 15 minutes before the ‘beduk’ (drum) was sounded.
People had started converging at the field as early as 5pm to set up their mats and tents.
While eagerly waiting for the ‘beduk’ to be sounded to mark the ‘buka puasa’ time, many were seen sitting comfortably on their picnic mats and enjoying the scenery.
Many of the women were also dressed in their best attire, taking photos to record the moment and upload them on social media.
Young children were also seen making new friends and running around to kill time.
By 6.15pm, the field has already been filled with about 1,000 persons.
Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) Mayor Hilmy Othman was also present to distribute free bubur lambuk and kurma (dates) for picnic goers.
However, as the clock struck 6.40pm, the rain started to drizzle which forced the crowd to slowly pack their things up to leave the field and find shelter at the nearby Plaza Merdeka shopping mall.
Many gathered at the shopping mall’s food court as the backup venue for their ‘buka puasa’ while others laid out their mats beneath the covered walkway just outside the mall and around the vicinity of the Old Courthouse.
By that time, the number of picnic attendees had significantly reduced as they chose to leave and find another venue to break their fast.
Following this, the first ever “Sungkey Picnic Style@Padang Merdeka” event organised by DBKU ended up with only some groups remaining on the field who sheltered from the rain in their tents.
— DayakDaily
