Compare and contrast : Classic raya songs

With less than a week to go before Raya (I'm sure people are hoping that it's on Thursday and not Friday), you hear Raya songs everywhere - the local equivalent of Christmas songs that you start hearing everywhere around November - during Ramadhan.

While I'm sure there are newer Raya songs these days, but it'll be awhile before you can hold a candle to the classic Raya songs from the 80s and 90s.

The ones most played even on the English radio stations here that I would recognise are Sharifah Aini's Hai Selamat Hari Raya and M. Nasir's Satu Hari Di Hari Raya.

Everytime I hear the former, I get the giggles because it's just Datuk Sharifah Aini telling people to stuff themselves silly with rendang, ketupat and kuih.

Hai selamat hari raya

kami semua ucapkan

menikmati hidangan

yang kami sediakan

Sila jamu selera

dengan bermacam hidangan

pilih yang mana suka

sila jangan la segan...

Rasalah ketupat ini

dengan rendang nya sekali

sudilah rasa kuih ku

pilihla yang mana satu

Hai dihari begini

kita menjamu selera

kita bermaaf maafan

di suasana hari raya

Compared to M. Nasir (does anyone still remember that he's actually Singaporean? Go figure)'s Satu Hari Di Hari Raya, which is a lot more sombre by comparison because he gives thanks to Allah (?)

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku lihat cahaya bersinar indah
Langit cemerlang tak terkira
Tanda kuasa yang Maha Esa
Memberi nikmat pada manusia

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku dengar irama yang sungguh indah
Ku coba mendekati padanya
Kira irama itu adalah
Suara pujian pada yang Esa

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Aku menangis tanda gembira
Aku menangis tanda ku cinta kepadaNya

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku lihat wajah suci ibuku
Ku lihat wajah kasih ayahku
Ku gembira
Mungkin inilah dia kebahagiaan