Tuesday 13 September 2011

malaysian festival and celebration..






New Year's Day
National Public Holiday, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated by the
 urban community throughout Malaysia with lively parties to usher
in the New Year. Sporting events, competitions, exhibitions 
and cultural performances by Malaysian multi-ethnic groups are held in various states.

Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
Hari Raya Puasa (or Hari Raya Aidil Fitri) falls on the first day 
of the Muslim month of Syawal and is a joyous occasions fo
r all Muslims. It marks the successful observance of fasting throughout
 the month of Ramadhan - the tenth month of the Muslim calendar.
 The celebration is determined by sighting of the new moon.
 After morning prayers at the mosque followed by visits to
 the graves of family members to pay respects.
 Open house or invitation for relatives and friends
 to come to their house is practiced.Plenty of
 traditional Malay delicacies are served during this festive season.


All mosques, homes, government and commercial 
buildings are decorated and brightly lit to mark the significant day.
 The celebrations last a month and although the 
first three days are celebrated on a grander scale, 
many Muslims have 'open houses' throughout the month to accommodate friends.

HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA
HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA( or HARI RAYA QURBAN )
 is famous in MALAYSIA especially at KELANTAN...
Do you know it? ‘Eidul Adha is from arabic word.
The meaning of this word is striving or struggling in 
doing Ibadah.....As a muslim,I would like to share
 with you some informations in our religion especially
 about HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA...Do you want
 to know,Insya ALLAH I’ll tell you..
Through my reasearh, I have learnt many informations.
.For instance,in my village,the celebration of Hari Raya 
Qurban is so great! The environment at Kelantan is
 very different during the celebration. That’s why
 I could not  forget the celebration of the year in Kelantan.


Thaipusam
Celebrated throughout Malaysia by Hindus on the
 tenth month of the Hindu calendar.
 Thaipusam is a day for penance and 
atonement among the Hindu community. Thaipusam
 an extraordinary festival, is a time for Hindu 
devotees to fulfil a vow they have made to the
 Lord Muruga, also known as Lord Subramaniam. 
The displays of devotion are varied, but the most 
devout prepare themselves for weeks, purifying
 themselves by fasting and celibacy. In a state 
of religious ecstasy thousands of devotees
 carrying body piercing kavadis -
 a frame decorated with colored papers
, tinsels, fresh flowers, and fruits as a form of penance
, makes this a once in lifetime experience. They move
 through the town up the hill to the 
Batu Caves with the kadavis tearing at their flesh, 
 but without appearing to feel any pain.
 Kuala Lumpur is probably the best place to
 enjoy this colourful and fascinating festival as
this is where Lord Muruga's jeweled chariot is 
led through the streets of the city, culminating at the Batu Caves in Selangor.

Chinese New Year
Celebrated over a periods of 15 days,
 beginning from the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar,
 this is the most important annual festival for the
 Chinese community. Legend has it, Buddha invited 
all animals to his kingdom but only 12 attended. 
With that, Buddha dedicated a year to each animal.
 Each year is named after one of the 12 animals
 according to the Chinese Zodiac. 
Chinese New Year is celebrated with abundance of delicacies , 
family gatherings, & the lighting of fire crackers at midnight. 
 Ang Pows or red packets of money are given to the
 young and unmarried while the symbol of prosperity
, the mandarin orange, is liberally consumed.
 It is the time when offerings are made to
 appease the spirits and gods. Houses are cleaned and 
decorated to prepare for the big day. 
New clothes are bought and worn. 
 The colour red is vividly displayed in many 
homes for 'prosperity' and 'luck'. 
The traditional dragon and lion dances herald in 
the new year, amidst banging gongs and drums.
 Penang is the place to celebrate the Chinese New Year. 


Wesak Day
Celebrated around May by Buddhists which marks 
three momentous events in Buddha's life - his birthday,
 enlightenment, and achievement of Nirvana.
 As the most important figure in Buddhism his life is celebrated and revered.
 The celebration begins at dawn when devotees
 gathering at the temples to meditate on the
 Eight Precepts. The 'Bathing the Buddha'ceremony
 is often part of Wesak celebrations. 
Water is poured over the shoulders of the Buddha and 
 serves as a reminder to purify the mind from evil.
 Donations, giving food to the needy, offerings of incense,
 joss sticks releasing of pigeons, ordination of
 monks and the offering of flowers normally
 takes place in temples. Chanting and praying are an
 important part of the Wesak celebration. 
  At night, processions of floats parade the streets,
 with devotees carrying candles.

Tadau Kaamatan (Harvest Festivals)
The indigenous tribes of the Kadazan, Dusun and Murut
 of Sabah celebrate their harvest festival in May. 
 Grateful thanks are offered to the spirit of 
the paddy, called Bambaazon / Bambarayon, 
by the Kadazan Dusun. A dance is performed by
 a high priestess, or Boohizan, to search for the
 Bambarayon.  Once found, a good harvest 
can be expected Agricultural shows, exhibitions, 
 cultural programs, buffalo races, and other traditional 
games are held. There is much merrymaking 
and feasting with Tapai (rice wine) flowing freely 
throughout the festivities. A Unduk Ngadau 
( Harvest Festival Queen ) pageant is held to
seek the fairest maiden, honouring a sacrifice 
made by a maiden in legendary times.

Gawai Dayak
Gawai Dayak, a festive celebrated in Sarawak on
 1st June every year is both a religious and social 
 occasion. It is a thanksgiving day marking 
good harvest and a time to plan for the new
 farming season or activities ahead for the Dayaks, 
which generally refers to the Iban, Bidayuh and the 
Orang Ulu communities in Sarawak.  
Their homes are cleaned and the graves
 of ancestors are tended to. Gawai is an occasion
 for parties, fun and games, processions and open housesï The
 Ibans working outside their village returned
 to the village for the celebration
.Celebrations begin with a reunion dinner for the entire family. 
 Here, the youngest member of the family 
will offer the parents a plate of specially prepared food. 
There is singing, dancing and considerable
 drinking of tuak or rice wine in the local longhouses. 
Livestock is also sacrificed to ensure a good harvest the following season.






Hungry Ghost Festival
Celebrated on the 15`th day of the seventh lunar month 
by Buddhists and Taoist, it is
 believed according to Chinese tradition
 that the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry
 ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. 
Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge 
on those who had wronged them in their lives. 
The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is
 to remember their dead family members and pay tribute
 to them. They also feel that offering food to the
 deceased appeases them and wards off bad luck. 
Sacrificial offerings are made by burning fake
 money notes, which are also known as hell money
 and even paper television or radio sets.
 Some families also burn paper houses & cars
 to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these
 offerings reach the ghosts and help them live 
comfortably in their world. Religious ceremonies are also held at temples

 Lantern & Mooncake Festival
Although its origins were founded in times of war 
in China where it celebrates the overthrow 
of the Mongols during the end of the
 Yuan Dynasty (120G- 1341 AD) in China. , 
the lantern and 'Mooncake Festival' or 'Tang Lung' 
has come more to symbolise a quiet celebration of peace
 and shared prosperity.  Legend has indicated 
that the secret about a plot against the Mongolians
 was hidden inside the mooncake and the
 mooncake was distributed widely. Lanterns 
were used at night as signals from higher grounds 
and hilltop.Today Malaysians of all walks of life
 celebrates this festival with colorful lantern
 hanging on the house & enjoying the highly 
delectable variety of mooncakes available. 
These cakes are rich, round pastries filled with a mixture
 of sweet red bean paste, lotus nut paste, or salted egg yolk.
 Mooncakes are available throughout the country for about a
 month while lantern processions and competition are 
held around in some neighbourhoods.

Deepavali
Commonly known to Hindus as the Festival of Lights, 
Deepavali is celebrated during the
 7th month of the Hindu calendar. Deepavali 
celebrates the triumph of good over evil,
 when Lord Krishna defeated Narkansura
 Oil baths are taken in the morning, before
 donning new clothes and paying a visit to the temple.  
Homes are lit with oil lamps, called vikku, signifying victory over darkness. 
 This is believed to invite Lakshmi,
the goddess of wealth who will not enter an 
unlit house. As with all open houses in Malaysia,
 friends join in the celebrations by visiting the homes of 
Hindu friends and relatives to extend good wishes and to
 partake in the feasting and jollity.

Christmas
Witness the Portuguese Settlement transformed into a 
spectacle of brilliant lights with beautiful decorated Christmas
 Trees in every house and the sweet sounds of
 carolling in the air. Midnight services are held in churches,
 to celebrate to birth of Christ. Christians in Malaysia 
celebrates by decorating Christmas trees, 
attending church services and carolling. 
Open Houses' are also held on Christmas Day,
 during which guests are treated to food and drinks.
 Exchange of gifts are popular. Roast turkey is
 a common and traditional dish.



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