Festivals in Malaysia

Malaysia is often referred to as the land of festivals and celebrations. Festivals in Malaysia may be public holidays or may be not. Some are celebrated

throughout the nation while others are region specific and thus the celebrations are restricted to the concerned states. Most of the festivals in Malaysia either religious or cultural in essence. Interestingly, the festivals in Malaysia are celebrated by the highly diversified population. Let us get into the magic of some of the major festivals in Malaysia. Major festivals are as follows :-

Hari Raya Puasa

-30th or 31st August .It is a Muslim festival in Malaysia which is meant to celebrate the spirit of Aidilfitri and the holy month of fasting. It is also known as Ramadhan. This is a happy festival for all the Muslims and they celebrate their victory of self restraint. The period of fasting ends with the sight of the new moon on an evening sky on the last day of Ramadhan. This sighting is confirmed by the state appointed religious officials throughout the country. And, the next day is declared the first day of Aidilfitri. This is basically a festival or a time to forgive and forget and promote brotherhood among the community people. Though Aidilfitri is celebrated for the whole of Sawan yet in Malaysia, people get public holidays only for the first two days.

Chinese New Year

-3rd February . It is another popular festival in Malaysia and it is the time for firecrackers, family re unions, tasting mandarin oranges and lion dance. It is at this point of the year, Malaysia celebrates some of the most hyped Chinese tradition and rituals.

Deepavali

-26th October.It is surely one of the prominent ones among the

festivals in Malaysia. It is popularly called the Festivals of Lights or Diwali. It is all about celebrating the triumph of good over evil or light over dark. People get busy in buying colorful dresses and decorating their homes with lamps and diyas. It is particularly celebrated in West Malaysia

Christmas

25th December No discussion on festivals in Malaysia is complete without the mention of Christmas. Malaysia celebrates the birth of Christ on 25th Dec just like any other country of the world. Christmas marks the celebration of hopes and rejoicing, family, friends, giving and forgiving. It is also the best time to get into some kind of charity works.

Thaipusam

20th January The annual Hindu festival in Malaysia is Thaipusam. This festival is known to draw a huge crowd from the multiracial Malaysian population. The year 2000 recorded a crowd of more than million people. This festival marks the worshiping of Lord Murugan though lots of stories and myths are still prevailing regarding what Thaipusam is actually all about. Lantern festival is an interesting festival which owes its origin in the ancient times. In this case, the people worship the full moon as the symbol of reunion. Thus, festivals in Malaysia include all kinds of religious festivals ranging from Hindu festivals, to Christmas and definitely a whole lot of Muslim festivals.

For information on Malaysia, log on to Holidayshub.com.

�