New Year celebration in Malaysia 2011

New Year celebration in Malaysia is grand and full of colourful activities. Nightclubs, discotheques, hotels, and restaurants are decorated to welcome the New Year. The country has a cosmopolitan population with people from various religious backgrounds like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity and Chinese. The New Year is thus more like a cosmopolitan celebration in Malaysia.

New Year activities in Malaysia:

Talk of New Year and find people on their toes, shopping, eating and making merry. Some of the most common activities carried out during the New Year in Malaysia are:

Since its New Year, people prefer to begin their year with God’s blessings. Hence, visiting temples, churches, mosques, monasteries or gurudwrahs are a preferred activity.

Youth love to celebrate the New Year with various thrilling activities like, bike rides, long drives through the cities, shouting wishes and racing through the streets.

Fireworks are another major attraction of the Malaysian New Year, which is loved by the Malaysian people and the visitors. Kuala Lumpur’s KLCC hosts one of the best firework shows in the country.

Shopping is another activity in Malaysia, which is the best thing to do for the New Year celebration in Malaysia 2011. Shopping for gifts and self-needs at Penang Street and Central Market in Kuala Lumpur is fun. The markets are filled with latest goods ranging from gadgets, clothes, books, shoes and many more. You can also test your bargaining skills at the markets of Malaysia.

Family gatherings and parties are a common activity that Malaysians are actively part of during the New Year celebrations. Preparing food at home and

having guests on this day is a usual thing, practiced every year in the country.

New Year traditions in Malaysia 2011:

Preparations for the New Year celebration in Malaysia begin from a month before. New Year is welcomed with various traditions. Some of these traditions are:

1. Buying kumquat trees and flowers for home and surrounding decorations
2. Bringing oranges for family’s good luck
3. Cleaning the house and the surrounding spotlessly
4. Singing “Auld Lang Syne”, a sentimental song reminiscing about the year that has passed
5. Settling all debts and making way for a new beginning
6. Lion dancers visiting the houses, shops and other places as a part of the New Year tradition
7. Every house in Malaysia is decorated with banners, inscribed messages and red lanterns, which signifies wealth, longevity and happiness.

Top locations for New Year celebration in Malaysia 2011:

The country bids a goodbye to the year that has passed and welcomes the New Year with open arms. Some of the best locations, where New Year celebrations are at its best are:

• Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur
• Penang’s Gurney Drive

New Year cruise liners in Malaysia 2011:

If you are planning to spend your New Year eve on a cruise, you surely have a lot of options to do so in Malaysia. Touring across the sea in some of the best cruise liners in the country, is perhaps the best way to begin a New Year. Some of the cruise liners to board for a fantastic New Year celebration in Malaysia 2011 are:

• Star Cruises
• Royal Caribbean
• Azamara Cruises

Apart from the New Year celebration, which is takes place in January along with the world, Malaysia also celebrates the Chinese New Year. This New Year is grandly celebrated with various customs and traditions and entertaining activities.