Assalamualaikum, Hello!! Hye you all! Let's know the top 10 Malaysia Festival and Celebration!!
A
festival in Malaysia is a holiday celebrated by everyone irrespective of race
or religion. We have "Open House" to welcome family and friends
during the major festivals like Hari Raya, Chinese New year and Deepavali. If you plan to come to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, you may spend time your vacation plans around a festival. Malaysia is a multi-cultural country where Malays, Chinese, Indians and other races live
together. You shouldn't be surprised then that we seem to celebrate some kind
of festival in Malaysia each month. The Prime Minister, his cabinet ministers and even politicians hold "Open
House" during these festivals where anyone can attend. Most foreign
tourists love to attend these events to get a glimpse of our unique culture and
cuisine.
1) Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Aidilfitri
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| Hari Raya Moment |
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Festival in Malaysia to welcome the end of fasting.
This
is the most important festival in Malaysia for the Muslims. It marks the end of
a month of fasting, Ramadhan and is known as Hari Raya Puasa. The beginning of this festival and holiday is determined by the sighting of the
new moon at strategic spots of the country. The celebration falls on the first
day of the Muslim calendar, Syawal. As
in any festival in Malaysia, there are traditional dishes associated with Hari
Raya Aidil Fitri. One popular dish served in many homes for this festival is
the rendang with ketupat or lemang. The rendang is a semi-dry spicy dish cooked in spices, coconut milk. The thick
gravy is characterized by the lightly fried grated coconut. Beef rendang is the
most popular choice though chicken and lamb can also be used. Hari Raya Puasa is also an occasion to visit the Prime Minister when he holds
an “Open House”. This can be at his official residence or sometimes at a hotel.
Lemang Stall During Hari Raya Festival
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| Lemang serve with beef rendang |
Delicious glutinous rice eaten with beef rendang
Lemang is made of glutinous rice and coconut milk. It is cooked in a hollow bamboo
stick lined with banana leaves over an open fire for a few hours. During the
last weeks before the Hari Raya festival, many stalls can be seen offering these
lemang for sale.
Hari Raya Cookies
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| Varieties of Hari Raya Cookies |
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| Samperit cookies. |
A Hari Raya open house will not be complete with these
cookies. Feasts and festivals are a feature of all
major religions
2) Chinese New Year
Festival to mark the beginning of the Chinese lunar
calendar. With the Chinese making up the second largest
community, Chinese New Year celebration is celebrated on a grand scale as it is the
most important festival in the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year is a 15 day celebration with the eve of Chinese New Year being
the most important day during this festival and holiday. It is a time for
families to have their annual reunion dinner. Shops and offices will be closed early to
allow workers to be home for this important festive celebration. The red “ang pau” is an important Chinese New Year celebration enjoyed by the children during this festive holiday. The lion dance is a must see for anyone who is around this festival in
Malaysia. Many shopping malls will have a lion dance display at some time
during the fifteen day celebration.
Children love this Chinese New Year tradition.
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Chinese New Year Red Packet
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| Lion Dance For Chinese New Year |
Malaysian Festivals Stamp
Wonderful way to remember Malaysian festivals Pos Malaysia is launching a new set of stamps to commemorate
the various festivals celebrated by Malaysians. The five festivals featured in
this second series include Hari Raya Haji, Mid-Autumn Festival, Thaipusam, Kaul
Festival and Regatta Lepa. The first series of Malaysian Festivals Stamps featured Deepavali, Chinese New
Year, Hari Raya, Tadau Kaamatan and Gawai Festival. Full sheets containing 20 stamps can be purchased for RM12 each at all Pos
Malaysia outlets while stocks last. Stamp collectors may want to get the stamp
set complete with folders. Folders are sold for RM5.50 each, and a full set
consisting of a folder, brochure, first-day cover and all five stamp sheets
will be sold for RM69.
3) Deepavali Or Diwali
Important Hindu festival in Malaysia
Deepavali or Diwali is a festival in Malaysia
celebrated by the Indian community. Popularly known as the festival of lights,
Diwali falls between October and November. It marks the triumph of good over
evil and light over darkness. As in other festivals in Malaysia, Indian families hold open houses where
family and friends come to visit and join in the celebration. An important
tradition during this festival in Malaysia is kolam drawing. It is seen not
only in homes but also in office buildings and shopping malls. Kolam drawing
is a form of sand painting using rice flour to draw geometric designs on the
floor. Rice flour is used to invite birds and other small creatures to eat it
thus signifying a welcome to welcome visitors and also Lakshmi, the goddess of
prosperity.
4) Hari Raya Haji
An important religious festival for the Muslims. Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Aidiladha is an important religious festival and holiday for Muslims. In Malaysia, Muslims join their brethren worldwide to remember Ibrahim (Abraham)’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God. Muslims need to make a pilgrimage to Mecca during Hari Raya Aidil Adha at least once in their life time. Muslims who are not in Mecca celebrate this festival in Malaysia with morning prayers at the mosque. For this festival a cow is often slaughtered in the mosque or village compound and the meat divided into three parts. One share is kept by the family, another share given to friends and neighbors while a share is distributed the poor.
5) Moon Cake Festival
Sweet moon cakes and lanterns to celebrate this festival. Moon cake festival is a festival in Malaysia widely celebrated by the Chinese community. Known also as the Mid-Autumn Festival it falls on the fifteenth day of the eight month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This is usually around September. Moon cake festival is a festive holiday with many folklores. Some tell of the famous Chinese archer and his wife who now lives on the moon. Others tell of the hidden message in the moon cakes when the Mongolians were ruling China. Moon cakes are of course the number one delicacy during this festival. Boxes of this sweet pastry are given as gifts to family, friends and business acquaintances. Moon cake festival would not be complete without the brightly lit lanterns. It is a festival in Malaysia enjoyed by kids of all ages. Many neighborhoods organize a gathering where the children can display their multi-colored and fascinating lantern designs.
6) Thaipusam
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| Hindu religious festival |
Thaipusam
is a religious festival in Malaysia celebrated by Hindus. During this festival
holiday, devotees throng the Hindu temples to pay homage to their gods. The top tourist place to visit at this time is the Batu Caves, a limestone
hill located north of Kuala Lumpur. Thousands of devotees visit this limestone
hill to pay homage to the Hindu god, Lord Murugan. Many do penance or fulfill their vows by carrying heavy structures or kavadis
up the 272 rock steps to the limestone caves.
7) Christmas Day
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| A Christian festival celebrated. |
As in all other festivals in Malaysia, those who celebrate Christmas have “open
houses” where they invite their friends and colleagues to their homes to join
in the celebration.
“Open House” is synonymous with good food special for that particular festival.
At Christmas “Open House” you will also enjoy dishes like satay, rendang and
other Malaysian delicacies. With the strong Portuguese settlement in Melaka you will also see an
unique Christmas celebration. There are many
Christians living in Malaysia so this is another festival and holiday
celebrated widely in our own unique way. With our hot Malaysian weather, you
won’t see a white Christmas but you can experience the Christmas festivities
with the malls decked out in beautiful Christmas decorations, carol
singing and you can still enjoy a Christmas turkey complete with stuffing.
8) Wesak Day
Wesak is celebrated by the
those of the Buddhist faith. Buddhists celebrate the birthday, enlightenment
and death of their founder, Gautama Buddha. One of the highlights of this festival in Malaysia is the beautiful float procession usually of
the statue of Buddha. Devotees spend weeks decorating the float as well as the
temple grounds as the temple would be filled with devotees to attend dharma
talks, meditations and enjoy vegetarian food.
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| Religious festival for Buddhists |
Hari Gawai is a festival
celebrated by the native people collectively called the Dayaks who live in Sarawak. This marks the end of the harvesting
season. Many Sarawakans who are working in other parts of Malaysia would make plans to
return home to take part in this celebration as this is a big festival and
holiday for the Dayaks. There is much singing, dancing and the drinking of the local rice wine in their
long houses. It is a reminder of their rich cultural heritage as they dress in
their traditional costumes and perform their dances.
10) Vaisakhi
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| Vaisakhi Festival |
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| Cute of Sikh Children |
A Sikh festival and holiday. Vaisakhi which
falls on 14th April is the celebration of the new year by the Sikh community in
Malaysia. The Sikh community is a close knit one and this is the most important
festival and holiday in their calendar. The Prime Minister of Malaysia recognized that the Sikhs are also important
citizens of Malaysian.
That's an overview the Malaysia Festival and Celebration. Let's join us if you have interested.
Come! Visit Malaysia 2014 :)
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