With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan nearly drawing to a close, the preparations for Eid al-Fitr, also known as Hari Raya Puasa, will soon be underway to mark the end of the fasting month. It’s a joyous occasion filled with gratitude, reunion, and, of course, food. Families gather around generous spreads of traditional dishes, enjoying a rich symphony of spices and flavours that connect generations through shared heritage and culture.
In the days leading up to the celebration, the kitchen often becomes a whirlwind of activity. Preparing for Hari Raya typically means hosting open houses, welcoming relatives, neighbours, and friends throughout the day. Guests arrive in waves, and each visit usually comes with food, drinks, and lively conversation. Cooking for these gatherings can quickly become an all-consuming task.
Because of this, many households in Singapore are increasingly turning to catering services as a convenient alternative. While outsourcing the cooking removes a significant amount of work, it also introduces additional costs. So which option truly makes more sense: cooking everything at home or ordering catering? Let’s take a closer look at the costs, both financial and otherwise, associated with hosting a Hari Raya feast.
The cost of hosting a Hari Raya feast
Hosting a Hari Raya spread can be incredibly rewarding, but it also involves considerable preparation. Even experienced hosts sometimes underestimate the planning, coordination, and effort required to pull everything together smoothly. Preparing traditional dishes in large quantities while keeping them fresh and visually appealing requires both time and organisation.
While grocery expenses are often the first thing people think about, the true cost of hosting extends beyond money. Below are some common factors families encounter when preparing a Raya feast at home.
1. Ingredients and groceries
Food ingredients are typically the biggest monetary expense when cooking for Hari Raya. Traditional dishes often include rich ingredients such as beef, chicken, mutton, coconut milk, spices, and herbs. Popular favourites like rendang, ayam masak merah, lontong, sambal goreng, and satay require numerous components that can add up quickly.
For households expecting many guests, grocery bills can climb significantly. Purchasing fresh meats, vegetables, festive snacks, drinks, and desserts in bulk can push costs higher than expected, especially as demand increases near the festive season.
On average, preparing a Raya spread for around 20 to 30 guests may cost $150 to $300 or more in ingredients alone, depending on the menu. Choosing premium dishes or specialty ingredients may increase the total further. In situations where festive expenses start to stack up, some households may explore short-term financial options like a fast cash loan to bridge temporary cash flow gaps. While not everyone needs to take out a small personal loan for help, it highlights how quickly celebration-related spending can accumulate.
1. Time and labour
Hari Raya dishes are known for their deep flavours, but they often require lengthy preparation. Many recipes involve slow cooking, careful marinating, and multiple preparation steps. As a result, many families start cooking one or two days before Hari Raya. It can be physically demanding, especially for the main cooks in the household. Thankfully, festive cooking often becomes a shared activity, with family members helping with preparation.
2. Opportunity costs
Preparing a Raya feast also means sacrificing time that could be spent elsewhere. Instead of relaxing or visiting loved ones, hosts may spend long hours shopping, cooking, and organising food. This trade-off is known as an opportunity cost, which is the value of what you give up when choosing one activity over another. While cooking may reduce monetary expenses, it requires a significant investment of time.
3. Emotional and social energy
Festive hosting also requires emotional effort. Many hosts feel pressure to prepare enough food, ensure dishes taste authentic, and create a welcoming environment for guests. While these responsibilities are part of the joy of Hari Raya, they still require planning, coordination, and mental energy.
The appeal of getting catering for Hari Raya
Given the amount of work involved in preparing a festive spread, it’s no surprise that catering has become increasingly popular for Hari Raya gatherings. Catering allows hosts to celebrate without spending the entire day in the kitchen. Instead of balancing cooking duties with guest interactions, hosts can focus on welcoming visitors and enjoying the festivities.
With professionally prepared dishes, there’s less need to worry about cooking schedules or constantly refilling trays. This frees you to spend more time chatting with relatives, taking photos, and participating in the celebration. In many ways, catering shifts the focus away from logistics and back to what matters most: spending time with family and friends.
Professional setup and service
A well-organised catering service handles more than just food preparation. Timing, presentation, and guest flow also play an important role in ensuring a smooth celebration.
Professional caterers typically manage delivery, buffet setup, warming equipment, and collection after the event. Some services also provide staff to replenish dishes and maintain the buffet during busy periods. With these tasks handled by professionals, hosts can greet guests calmly without constantly moving between the kitchen and dining area.
By the numbers: DIY hari raya feast vs catering
To make the comparison clearer, let’s assume a small Raya gathering of 10 guests, which is common for family open houses.
Option 1: Estimated DIY cooking costs (ingredients only)
A typical home Raya spread might include dishes like:
- Beef or chicken rendang
- Ayam masak merah
- Sambal prawns
- Lontong or ketupat with vegetables
- Kuih or dessert
Below is a rough ingredient estimate based on common supermarket pricing.
| Ingredient Category | Example Items | Estimated Cost |
| Meat & seafood | Beef for rendang, chicken, prawns | $40–$70 |
| Coconut milk & spices | Rempah ingredients, chilli, galangal, lemongrass | $15–$25 |
| Rice/ketupat ingredients | Rice, ketupat casings or lontong | $10–$15 |
| Vegetables & garnishes | Cucumber, cabbage, bean sprouts | $8–$12 |
| Dessert/kuih ingredients | Coconut, gula melaka, pandan | $10–$20 |
| Pantry staples | Cooking oil, sugar, sauces | $5–$10 |
The estimated total for 10 people comes up to $90-$150, which works out to roughly $9-$15 per person. For context, rendang itself involves multiple ingredients. Even ready-made rendang paste can cost around $3–$5 per pack, not including the meat and coconut milk required to cook the dish.
Option 2: Hari Raya catering costs in Singapore
Many popular halal caterers offer Raya buffet or mini buffet packages priced per person.
Typical starting prices include:
| Caterer | Package Type | Starting Price |
| Four Seasons Catering | Raya buffet menu | ~$20.80 per pax |
| Lagun Sari | Basic buffet packages | ~$15.40+ per pax |
| Hj Maimunah | Raya buffet menus | ~$18–$28 per pax |
| Rilassi Catering | Raya buffet menu | ~$15 per pax |
Typical additional costs include the delivery fee, which can go as high as $80, and Minimum order requirements, which can range between 15–50 pax depending on the caterer. Thus, the estimated catering total for 10 people (mini buffet equivalent) comes around to $180–$300 or $18–$30 per person.
What the numbers show
Catering can cost roughly 1.5x to 2x more per person than cooking the food yourself. As you may have expected, DIY cooking is the cheapest option monetarily, but that saving comes at the price of time, labour, and preparation effort. Catering makes up for the price increase by offering some much-appreciated convenience, which more and more people seem to be willing to pay for.
Conclusion
Ultimately, choosing between catering and cooking at home for Hari Raya in Singapore depends on what matters most to you as a host. Cooking your own feast is typically the more economical choice and offers the warmth and personal touch of traditional family recipes. It also allows greater flexibility in adjusting dishes and portions based on your guests. Catering, on the other hand, offers convenience and peace of mind. By letting professionals handle the food preparation and setup, you can spend more time enjoying the celebration and connecting with loved ones.
At the end of the day, Hari Raya is less about how the food arrives at the table and more about the spirit of togetherness it brings. Whether you cook everything yourself or rely on catering services, the true essence of the celebration lies in sharing good food, laughter, and meaningful moments with the people who matter most.
