Malaysia Festivals

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Malaysia Festival Events

Festivals in Malaysia - If you look at the calendar here in Malaysia, you’ll notice there are plenty of public holidays for all kinds of celebrations. There are celebrations for all ethnic groups and religions of people in Malaysia. Also, what makes it more fun is; everybody is involved and invited, and not just for particular groups. Malays invite their Chinese and Indian friends over for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and vice versa. It could be anything; Christmas, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Gawai or Vasakhi. And then, there are the other festivals like National Day, New Year’s Day, Colors of Malaysia Festival or even the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival

Colors of Malaysia Festival. To learn a bit about the Malaysian people and the diverse cultures here, the Colors of Malaysia Festival is a perfect crash course to catch. This yearly event brings all the heritage and culture of Malaysians from all states into one spectacular event. And I see this event improving each year with better performances and newer concepts brought forward. The parade is held at the Dataran Merdeka and usually starts at 8.30 pm but crowds usually gather earlier to get the best places and to have fun.

In this parade, the Malaysian culture is manifested in forms of various arts such as dances, music, clothing designs and crafts. The various states taking part are segmented to the northern region, central region, southern region, east coast and northern Borneo region. The King of Malaysia usually starts off events with his well-decorated ride followed by the ‘Malaysian Heritage Dance’.

First of all, I’d like to note that, besides celebrations like Christmas or National Day, which follows the regular calendar, many other festivals follow different calendar dates like the Muslim calendar, Chinese calendar, Hindu calendar etc. So, the holiday dates are subject to change every year.

Well then, lets take a look at some of the festivals celebrated here in Malaysia:

The majority of Malaysians are Malays. Malays are pretty much entirely Muslims. So, lets begin with the Muslim celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This celebration comes about after Muslims have finished a month of fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadhan. Prior to the celebration, there will often be spring-cleaning, and preparing a new Baju Melayu (traditional Malay attire). Many who have moved to big cities will take advantage of the holidays to return to their hometowns to meet parents and gather with family members (locals call this activity “balik kampung”). Many still make home baked cakes and treats for guests. When family members gather, they’ll ask for forgiveness from each other, basically writing off old “accounts” and also having a good time. Kids love Hari Raya because they’ll get green packets or “duit raya” (You see, we just give money in packets, no particular amount big or small, it’s all about sincerety). Certainly, this celebration is filled with joy and happiness for all Malaysians.

Next up is the Chinese New Year celebration, and as the name describes, it is a celebration to usher in the New Year according to the Chinese calendar. During this period, you’ll see red colors everywhere in decorations at shopping malls and also in the residence of the Chinese. The color red is a symbol of good luck in Chinese tradition. On Chinese New Year’s eve, family members will gather for a reunion dinner. Guests will be given mandarin oranges (a symbol of prosperity). Also, those who are married will give out “ang pows” (this time, it’s a red packet, containing money) to children and those who are still single

Now, lets move on to a celebration most eagerly awaited by Hindus, “Deepavali”. Also known as the “Festival of Lights”, Deepavali is celebrated to signify the victory of good over evil. If you happen to come across this festival while you’re in Malaysia, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be amazed by the mass parades held by the Hindus en route to their temple of worship. According to the Hindu beliefs, Deepavali is in fact celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the Demon King Narakasura, and marks the return of Rama after 14 years of exile. At dawn of Deepavali, Hindu’s will have a ritual sesame oil bath and their houses will be dazzling with rows of oil lamps, which signify the triumphant light over the dark side.

And sure enough, every 25^th of December, there will be Christmas. Basically, the Christmas spirit here is as strong as anywhere else. Maybe, the only difference is there’s no snow here, not real snow anyway. Last year, they had this real huge and TALL Christmas tree in the Suria KLCC shopping mall and it was quite a spectacular to look at. You can see Christmas decorations and ornaments everywhere. In shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and homes. Friends and family are always invited and everybody is in the Christmas mood and spirit.

Ahaa, since everybody loves shopping, some bright spark decided to launch the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival. Basically all the malls in Malaysia will take part and there will be a huge sale. Discounts can get very big indeed, nothing unusual about 70% off on items, or even more. I personally like to buy clothing at this time; there are so many great deals around, just feel like buying everything! This event is held three times every year, in March, August and December (hey, just in time for Christmas!).

One of my favorite celebrations has to be National Day. It falls on the 31^st of August and of course, celebrated to commemorate the day Malaysia gained independence in 1957. Every year, it is celebrated in a grand scale last year was no different. The event held at Putrajaya was HUGE! A record number of uniformed troops ever assembled in one festival and also a record turnout for the event. Also, nothing beats the fireworks on National Day.

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