The Boria Laughs at the Powerful, the Greedy, the Lecherous, the Losers – and at Each of Us
By Julia Tan
June 2019 FEATURE
Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations are about kinship, strengthening ties – and food! Three childhood friends relate how they each celebrate Hari Raya – both at home and abroad.(Clockwise from top left) Boria Ria skit at the Botanic Gardens, 1970 – a rare scene when it was once performed in an open environment; Boria Padang Tambun, 1850; boria skit, Sungai Pinang, 1974; and Boria Highlanders, Hutton Road, 1920.“The Boria groups here can speak Hokkien. Most of them do because they were...
Julia Tan
went to primary and secondary school at Convent Pulau Tikus before continuing sixth form at St. Xavier’s Institution; any other school was out of the question. She misses the fried rice at the school canteen, and laments the passing of the wan tan mee lady.
