Exploring The best Festivals in Malaysia

Malaysia is a bustling, pulsating pot of cultures, ethnicities, and religions, this country has a long line of festivals throughout the year and these would be an interesting illustration of how particular ethnic traditions are celebrated with a fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous influences. Participation in festivals of Malaysia would be an unforgettable odyssey to the heart of this multicultural nation.

Cultural heritage in Malaysia (Source: AsiaInspirations)

Best Festivals in Malaysia

Chinese New Year

• Time: January or February (depending on the lunar calendar)
• Location: Celebrated nationwide, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ipoh

Chinese New Year is one of the major festivals in Malaysia and is especially important to the Chinese community. It falls on the first day of the Lunar New Year and usually lasts for 15 days. Characterized by reunions, feasting, and paying respects to ancestors, red lanterns line the streets, usually complemented with dragon and lion dances, firecrackers, and giving out "ang pow" or red packets for prosperity.

Celebrating Chinese New Year (Source: KUNC)

Festival Highlights:

• Reunion Dinners: New Year's eve is commemorated by the family gathering together for an elaborate meal.
• Lion and Dragon Dances: Performance to keep away all the bad spirits and invite much better luck
• Chingay Parades: More prominent in Penang, where most events are performed with large floats and cultural performances.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr)

• Time: Varies based on the Islamic calendar (Typically after Ramadan)
• Location: Nationwide, with key celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Kelantan, Terengganu

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the Malaysia name for Eid al-Fitr, known to the rest of the world, marking the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims. It is a high point in this country and is enjoyed with much enthusiasm. The families get together in search of forgiveness from one another, visit graves of their beloved, and enjoy traditional delicacies like rendang, satay, and ketupat.

Families gathering for Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival (Source: HomageMalaysia)

Festival Highlights:

• Open Houses: Malaysian families open their houses to friends and neighbors, food and hospitality overflowing.
• Traditional dress: Involves clothing such as baju kurung and baju Melayu.
• Special Prayers: Special prayer offers to Muslims in mosques early morning so as to thank them at the beginning of the day.

Thaipusam

• Time: January or February (depending on the Tamil calendar)
• Location: Batu Caves (Selangor), Penang, and Ipoh

A Hindu festival which is held in order to celebrate the victory of the Hindu god of War, as well as to commemorate the event when his mother, Parvati bestowed him the divine spear ‘Vel’ to beat the demon Soorapadan. The festival is particularly known for its elaborate ceremonies and rituals at one of the most famous tourist attractions in Malaysia, Batu Caves.

Stunning Hindu festival in Malaysia (Source: ShootPlannet)

Festival Highlights:

• Kavadi Procession: It is a ritual procession that is carried out where the devotees carry huge, elaborately decorated structures or pierce their bodies as an offering to the deity.
• Milk Offerings: Devotees come with vessels of milk to be sprinkled over the statue of Lord Murugan.
• Colorful parades: Celebrate with drumming and chanting and traditional music.

Deepavali (Diwali)

• Time: October or November (based on the Hindu calendar)
• Location: Nationwide, major celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ipoh

Deepavali, or the Festival of Lights, is the most important Hindu festival, signifying the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Houses are decorated with "kolam" (intricate floor art done with colored powders) and oil lamps to invite the goddess Lakshmi, the deity for wealth and prosperity. Fireworks and a time for sweet sharing make it more festive.

Festival of lights Deepavali (Source: Timeout)

Festival Highlights:

• Kolam: Beautiful rangoli designs were drawn at the entrances of homes and temples.
• Fireworks: Jazzy fireworks for the victory of light over darkness.
• Temple Visits: The people visit temples and offer prayers for a successful year.

Hari Gawai

• Time: June 1st and 2nd
• Location: Sarawak (Kuching and rural areas)

Hari Gawai is one of the harvest festivals celebrated by all the Dayaks in Sarawak but is particularly celebrated with gusto by the Iban and Bidayuh communities in Sarawak. It falls on the end of the harvesting season, and as a season of thanksgiving, merry-making times must be had. A number of traditional dances and music and rituals are performed to appease the rice spirit and usher in a bountiful future.

Hari Gawai traditional dance (Source: museumvolunteers)

Festival Highlights:

• Ngajat Dance: This dance is a typical warrior dance performed with the rhythmic sound of gongs and drums.
• Rice wine: There is a special preparation of rice wine that is being shared in the celebrations.
• Longhouse Visits: Visitors are invited into the longhouses where feasting and all other communal activities are celebrated by the families.

Wesak Day

• Time: May (on the full moon of the Vesak month)
• Location: Nationwide, especially in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ipoh

Wesak Day, or Buddha Day, marks Gautama Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. It is celebrated with many prayers and meditation and acts of welfare work by Buddhists in Malaysia. Vibrant night processions include a sea of thousands of devotees taking part in candle lit marches.

Celebrating Wesak day in Malaysia (Source: Britanica)

Festival Highlights:

• Candlelit Processions: Devotees go in processions around the compound of the temple with candles and flowers.
• Release of Caged Animals: A symbolic act in compassion and goodwill that means releasing the soul.
• Temple Offerings: Food, incense, and flowers are offered to Buddha statues as a sign of devotion.

Tadau Kaamatan (Harvest Festival)

• Time: May 30th–31st
• Location: Sabah (Kota Kinabalu and rural areas)

Tadau Kaamatan is the Kadazan-Dusun's thanksgiving for a bountiful rice harvest in Sabah. The time to give thanks for rice having been bountifully harvested is celebrated with traditional ceremonies, dance and music, feasts, and much merriment. The climax of this festival is a symbolic ritual called “Magavau”, in honor of the rice spirit “Bambarayon”.

The beauty of Harvest festival (Source: HolidayTour&Travel)

Festival Highlights:

• Sumazau Dance: It consists of the traditional Kadazan Dusun dancing in pairs to the rhythm of gongs.
• Unduk Ngadau Pageant: A beauty pageant that specifically is dedicated to a Kadazandusun mythology figure known as Huminodun.
• Traditional Games: These competitions consist of arm-wrestling and blowpipe, showcasing muscle strengths and skills.

Hungry Ghost Festival

• Time: August (based on the Chinese lunar calendar)
• Location: Celebrated primarily in George Town (Penang), Kuala Lumpur, and Ipoh

The Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional Taoist and Buddhist festival celebrated in the Chinese community. The people believe that during this time, the gates of the underworld open, and spirits go around in the earth. Food is offered by families, with joss paper burned for the passing of spirits, and other offerings to appease them.

Unique Hungry Ghost festival (Source: TatlerAsia)

Festival Highlights:

• Spirit Offering: The meal is left by the families and paper money is burnt for the spirits.
• Getai Performances: These are outdoor concerts and Chinese opera performances meant to entertain both the living and their spirits.
• Street Altars: These are makeshift altars placed along streets for the spirits, comprising food, incense, and candles.

Read more: Malaysia Family Tours

Malaysia Day

• Time: September 16th
• Location: Nationwide, biggest celebrations in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Kuching (Sarawak), and Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Day was the announcement of the formation of Malaysia in 1963 with the inclusion of the states of Sabah and Sarawak into Peninsular Malaysia to what is now known as Malaysia. The patriotic activities, parades, and cultural performances in unison celebrated Malaysia's unity in diversity.

People celebrating Malaysia Day (Source: Oldpenanghotel)

Festival Highlights:

• Parades: Colorful processions that showcase a nation's unity in addition to showing its military strength.
• Cultural Events: In Malaysia, ethnic groups have much to offer in terms of sharing in traditional music and dances.
• Patriotic displays: Include a flag-raising ceremony to mark the national pride, complete with fireworks.

Mooncake Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival)

• Time: September or October (based on the lunar calendar)
• Location: Nationwide, major celebrations in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Ipoh

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Mooncake Festival, is a traditional Chinese celebration to confer respect to the full moon and is associated with family reunions. Sharing mooncakes, lantern processions, and storytelling about the legend of Chang'e, the moon goddess, are the hallmarks that mark this festival.

People release lanterns to celebrate this holiday (Source: TheIndependent) 

 Festival Highlights:

• Mooncakes: These are traditional pastries filled with a variety of fillings, including lotus seed paste, red bean, and egg yolk.
• Lantern Parades: Children and families parade with colorful lanterns as part of the harvest moon celebrations.
• Lion Dances: This is another feature of the New Year celebrations and many cities and towns have lion dances.

Essential Tips for Tourists Attending Festivals in Malaysia

Respect Local Customs: Each festival has its customs and traditions. Dress modestly at all events, especially religious ones: for example, take off your shoes before entering temples and mosques.

Plan Ahead: Many festivals attract big crowds, and accommodations and transports are often soon sold out. Book your accommodation and transport well in advance, and for big events, be at the area of action well in time for a good spot.

Stay Hydrated and Comfortable: The climate of this country is generally hot and humid, so plenty of water should be taken by the individual along with light clothes and an umbrella for protection from the sun and the rain that comes at an unexpected time. 

Conclusion

Festivals of Malaysia are one of those varicolored and alluring ways through which the multicultural society can be testified. Tourists, with a little planning and respect for locals ways will be able to experience Malaysian culture at its heart and participate in unforgettable experiences while traveling. So come with Asia King Travel to have rare and colorful festival experiences in Malaysia.

Read more: Malaysia Excursions