Moreh

The name and the meal

Moreh, written in Jawi as موريه, names a supper that is deliberately informal. It is not a feast and not a hosted dinner, but a light spread of snacks and refreshments eaten late at night. It belongs to Malaysian Muslims and to Ramadan. The gathering matters as much as the eating, which is why it takes place in places where a crowd can comfortably sit and share food together rather than in a private home.

After the night prayers

Moreh follows tarawih, the extra prayers Muslims say at night during Ramadan, either at a mosque or at a surau, which is a smaller local prayer room. When the prayers end, the congregation does not simply disperse. Snacks and drinks are brought out, and people stay on to eat and talk. Because the timing follows the prayers, moreh falls late in the evening, after the day's fast has ended. It is a companion to worship rather than a separate occasion.

From potluck to shared cooking

The way the food arrives has changed. In earlier times families prepared food at home and carried it along to share with the congregation, much like a potluck. Today the snacks are more often made collectively, with individuals or small groups in the community cooking and organising the spread themselves. Either way the food is pooled among those who come. That shift, from each household contributing to a shared effort, is the main change recorded in how moreh is kept.

Where people gather

Moreh is not confined to a prayer hall. It can be kept anywhere people are able to gather publicly and eat, which includes night markets, restaurants and cafes, both the ordinary neighbourhood kind and artisan ones. In Malaysia it is a familiar part of Ramadan nights. The practice has also spread to Singapore, where Muslim communities have taken it up. The setting is flexible on purpose: the custom follows the congregation rather than a single building.

A song about moreh

The supper has also appeared in popular culture. In 2014 the Malaysian musician Monoloque made a song about the tradition. Otherwise the practice stays a community affair, made by the people who cook the food, carry it to wherever others are gathered, and share it out. It is not staged for visitors. It belongs to the ordinary rhythm of Ramadan nights, when the congregation eats together before going home.

How Moreh is kept

Mosque and surau congregations finish their tarawih prayers, then stay on or gather nearby for a light supper. Snacks and refreshments are laid out and shared. In earlier years families carried food from home, in the manner of a potluck; today individuals or groups in the community prepare the food together. The eating is open and public, and people may meet at the mosque or surau itself, or at night markets, restaurants and cafes.

When and where

Moreh belongs to Ramadan, the month of fasting. It follows the tarawih prayers, the night prayers said after the day's fast is over, so it happens late in the evening. It is not tied to one fixed date. It can be kept on any night of the month, as often as a community chooses.

The custom belongs to Malaysia, where it is kept by Malay Muslims, and has spread to Singapore. It can happen wherever people are able to gather publicly and eat, so it is found at mosques and suraus, at night markets, and in restaurants and cafes, from plain local places to artisan ones.

What Moreh means

For those who keep it, moreh is a shared ending to a night of worship. The fasting day is over and the prayers are said; the supper is the part where people sit with one another. Because the food is pooled and shared, the meal carries a sense of the congregation as a group rather than a room of strangers. It is informal, light and unhurried, a time for neighbours to talk before heading home.

Days Moreh is marked

Questions people ask about Moreh

See also

Eid al-FitrThe feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits homeDiwaliA five-day festival of lights celebrated across India and its diaspora to mark the victory of light over darkness.ThaipusamA Tamil Hindu festival honoring Murugan through devotional burdens and pilgrimageLebaranIndonesia's festive season of homecoming, seeking forgiveness and shared feasts

Good reading and sources

• Moreh (meal) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-12.