Characteristics of a rite: New born baby (Kekah)

One of the interesting rituals in Malaysia is 'Kekah'. This ritual is celebrated by Malays.I still remember when I was 10 years old (2000); my mother and my father went to a big cage in Hulu Langat, Selangor to buy a cow. A few days later, all my relatives from Pahang went to our house in Kuala Lumpur, I was very happy but I didn’t know why we gathered. The next day, my mother asked me to wear ‘Baju Kurung’, I saw all of my cousins wore traditional malay clothes. A few minutes later, I saw a group of people came to our house; they also wore traditional malay clothes. I went to the kitchen to ask my mother what happened. Why many people came to our house? She didn’t answer me but she told to sit next to her and kept quite. Then, all the men sit on the floor in the living room while the women helped my aunts to prepare the foods. After a few minutes, my father came in with a baby in his arm (that’s my brother), he put my brother on a small bed besides him. After that, the ‘Imam’ said “Let the ceremony begin,” the group started to read ‘tahlil’ and prays. Then, they stood up and continued reading ‘Marhaban’. Their voices were so loud. There were also no special music but there were ‘selawat’ where muslims praised their prophet. My father took my brother in his arm while my uncle held a tray. In the tray there was a half cut coconut which contained its juice and a scissor. My father went to the ‘Imam’, and then the ‘Imam’ cut my brother’s hair. He put the hair in the coconut shell, a man after him did the same things too and the activities continued until the last man. Finally, after they had finished cutting my brother’s hair, my father invited them to the tent to eat. I asked my father what was the menu. My father said it was a curry meat. Now I understand, that was the cow that my father bought a few days ago. My father said this ceremony was held to celebrate new born baby. Muslims would slaughter animals with four feet only in Islamic way as alms to other people, but the best way is to do it by held a feast.