With so many ethnic groups and religions
represented in Malaysia, Singapore and
Brunei, you’ll be unlucky if your trip
doesn't coincide with some sort of
festivals, either secular or religious.
Religious celebrations range from
exuberant, family-oriented pageants to
blood-curdlingly gory displays of
devotion. Secular events might comprise
a carnival with a cast of thousands, or
just a local market with a few cultural
demonstrations laid on. If you're keen
to see a major religious festival, it's
best to make for a town or city where
there is a large population of the
particular ethnic group involved - all
the relevant details are given in the
list of festivals and events below, and
are backed up by special accounts
throughout the text.
If you're particularly interested in
specifically Malay festivities, it's
worth noting that in the northeastern
Malaysian towns of Kota Bharu and Kuala
Terengganu, cultural centres have been
established as a platform for
traditional Malay pastimes and sports
-there's more information in the "East
Coast". Chinese religious festivals -in
particular, the Festival of Hungry
Ghosts - are the best times to catch a
free performance of a Chinese opera, or
wayang, in which characters act out
classic Chinese legends, accompanied by
crashing cymbals, clanging gongs and
stylized singing.
Bear in mind that the major festival
periods may play havoc with even the
best-planned travel itineraries. Over
Ramadan in particular, transport
networks and hotel capacity are
stretched to their limits, as countless
Muslims engage in batik kampung - the
return to one's home village; Chinese
New Year wreaks similar havoc. Some, but
by no means all, festivals are also
public holidays (when everything
closes).
Most of the festivals have no fixed
dates, but change annually according to
the lunar calendar: the Islamic calendar
shifts forward relative to the Gregorian
calendar by about ten days each year, so
that, for example, a Muslim festival
which happens in mid-April one year will
be nearer the beginning of April the
following year. We've listed rough
timings, but for specific dates each
year it's a good idea to check with the
local tourist office.
۞
A festival and events calendar
۞
January-February
Ponggal: A Tamil harvest and new
year festival held at the start of the
Tamil month of Thai. Ponggal translates
as 'overflow' and the festival is
celebrated by boiling sugar, rice and
milk together in a new claypot over a
wood fire. The milk boils and overflows
the pot forcing out the rice symbolising
prosperity and plenty; offerings of food
are made at Hindu temples such as
Singapore's Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
on Sierangoon Road (mid-Jan).
Thaipusam Entranced Hindu
penitents carry elaborate steel arches (kavadl),
attached to their skin by hooks and
skewers, to honour Lord Subramaniam. The
biggest processions are at Kuala
Lumpur's Batu Caves and from the Sri
Sirinivasa Perumal Temple to the
Chettiar Hindu Temple in Singapore (late
Jan).
Federal Territory Day, Kuala Lumpur,
Labuan and Putra Jaya (Feb 1).
Celebrations include base jumping from KL International Tower Jump, Mlenara KL.
Chinese New Year: Chinese
communities spring spectacularly to
life, to welcome in the new year. Old
debts are settled, friends and relatives
visited, and red envelopes (hong bao/ang
pao) containing money are given to
children; Chinese operas and
lion-and-dragon-dance troupes perform in
the streets, while ad hoc markets sell
sausages and waxed ducks, pussy willow,
chrysanthemums and mandarin oranges.
Colourful parades of stilt-walkers, lion
dancers and floats along Singapore's
Orchard Road and through the major towns
and cities of west-coast Malaysia
celebrate the Chingay holliday, part of
the new year festivities (Feb).
Hari Raya Haji: An auspicious day
for Muslims, who gather at mosques to
honour those who have completed the
hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca; goats are
sacrificed, and their meat given to the
needy. Known as Hari Raya Aidiladha in
Brunei and sometimes in Malaysia and
Singapore too.
Chap Goh Mei: The fifteenth and
climactic day of the Chinese New Year
period, and a time for more feasting and
firecrackers; women who throw an orange
into the sea at this time are supposed
to be granted a good husband; the day is
known as Guan Hsiao Chieh in Sarawak.
(generally Feb).
Brunei National Day: The sultan
and 35,000 other Bruneians watch parades
and fireworks at the Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah National Stadium, just outside
Bandar Seri Begawan; the rest watch on
TV (Feb 23).
Birthday of the Monkey God: To
celebrate the birthday of one of the
most popular deities in the Chinese
pantheon, mediums possessed by the
Mankey God's spirit pierce themselves
with skewers; elsewhere street operas
and puppet shows are performed. Make for
Singapore's Monkey God Temple on Seng
Poh Road, or look out for ad hoc
canopies erected near Chinese temples
(Feb & Sept).
۞
March-April
Tour De
Langkawi: A ten-day international bicycle race
which, despite its name, covers most of
peninsular Malaysia. Considered the top
cycling events in Asia these days it
doesn't even make it as far as the
island it's named for (March).
Easter:
Candlelit processions held on
Good Friday at Christian churches like
St Peter's in Melaka and St. Josephs in
Singapore (March/April).
Qing Ming- Ancestral graves are cleaned
and restored and offerings made by
Chinese families at beginning of the
third lunar month - signals the
beginning of spring and a new farming
year (April).
Vesak Day: Saffron-robed monks chant
prayers at packed Buddhist temples, and
devotees release caged birds to
commemorate the Buddha's birth,
enlightenment and the attainment of
Nirvana (May).
Pesta Kaamatan: Celebrated in the
villages of Sabah’s west coast and
interior, the harvest festival of the
Kadazan/Dusun people features a ceremony
of thanksgiving by a bobohizan
(high priestess), followed by lavish
festivities; the festival culminates in
a majorcelebration in Kota
Kinabalu (May).
Sabah Fest: A week of events in Kota Kinabalu, offering a chance to
experience Sabah's food, handicrafts,
dance and music (late May). Rumah
terbuka Malaysia Tadau Kaamatan
(Harvest l, Kola Kinabalu, Sabah (May
31).
Brunei Armed Forces Day: The formation
of Brunei's armed forces is celebrated with
parades and displays on the padang (May 31).
۞ May-August
Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday
Festivities are held in KL to celebrate
the birthday of Malaysia's king, elected
every five years by the country's nine
sultans or rajahs from among their
number (June).
Gawai Dayak
Sarawak's Iban and Bidayuh peoples
celebrate the end of harvesting with
extravagant longhouse feasts. Aim to be
in an Iban longhouse on the Sunjei
Rajang or in the Batang Ai river system,
or on dry land around Serian or Bau.
(June).
Feast of Saint Peter
Melaka's Eurasian community decorate
their boats to honour the patron saint
of fishermen (June 24).
Dragon Boat Festival
Rowing boats, bearing a dragon's
head and tail, race in Penang, Melaka,
Singapore and Kota Kinabalu, to
commemorate a Chinese scholar who
drowned himself in protest against
political corruption (June/July).
Sultan of Brunei's Birthday Celebrations
Starting with a speech by the sultan on
the padang, celebrations continue for
two weeks with parades, lantern
processions, traditional sports
competitions and fireworks - see local
press for details (July 15).
Pesta Rumbia
The uses of the rumbia, or sago
palm, in handicrafts, housing, food and
traditional medicines are demonstrated
by the villagers of Kuala Penyu, in
Sabah (late July).
Kelantan Cultural Week
Kelantan citizens celebrate their
heritage through cultural performances
and handicraft demonstrations;
particularly good in Kota Bharu
(July—Aug).
Flower Festival
Based in the Cameron Highlands, with a
display of floral arrangements and a ;
competition for the best flower-covered
float (Aug).
Sarawak Extravaganza
Kuching hosts a month i of arts and
crafts shows, street parades, food fairs
and traditional games, all celebrating
the culture of Sarawak (Aug).
Singapore National Day
Singapore's independence is celebrated
with a huge show at the National
Stadium, featuring military parades and
fireworks (Aug 9).
Festival of the Hungry Ghosts
Yue Lan;
held to appease the souls of the dead
released from Purgatory during the
seventh lunar month, when Chinese street
operas are held, and joss sticks, red
candles and paper money burnt outside
Chinese homes (late Aug).
Malaysia National Day
Parades in Dataran Merdeka, KL, Kuching
and Kota Kinabalu to mark the formation
of the state of Malaysia. Often preceded
by weeks of flag waving (Aug 31).
۞
September-December
Moon Cake Festival
Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival (held
on the 15th day of the 8th moon), when
Chinese people eat and exchange moon cakes
(made from sesame and lotus seeds and
sometimes stuffed with a duck egg) to honour
the fall of the Mongol Empire, plotted, so
legend has it, by means of messages secreted
in cakes.
After dark, children parade with gaily
coloured lanterns. Chinatowns are the
obvious places to view the parades, but
Singapore's Chinese Gardens and Kuching's
Reservoir Park also have particularly good
displays (Sept).
Navarathiri:
Hindu temples devote nine nights to
classical dance and music in honour of the
consorts of the Hindu gods, Shiva, Vishnu
and Brahman; one reliable venue is
Singapore's Chettiar Temple (Sept-Oct).
Thimfthi:
Hindu firewalking ceremony in which devotees
prove the strength of their faith by running
across a pit of hot coals; best seen at the
Sri Marlamman Temple in Singapore
(Sept-Nov).
Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods-
The nine-day sojourn on earth of the Nine
Emperor Gods -thought to bring good health
and longevity – is celebrated In Singapore
at the Kiu Ong Yah Temple (Upper Serangoon
Road) by Chinese operas and mediums
cavorting in the streets (Oct).
Pilgrimage
to Kusu Island:
Locals visit Singapore's Kusu Island in
their thousands to pray for good luck and
fertility at the Tua Pekong Temple and the
island's Muslim shrine (Oct/Nov).
Kota Belud
Tamu Besar:
Sabah's biggest annual market, attended by
Bajau tribesmen on horseback, features
cultural performances and handicraft
demonstrations (Oct/Nov).
Deepavali:
Hindu festival celebrating the victory of
Light over Dark oil lamps are lit outside
homes to attract Lakshmi, the Goddess of
Prosperity, and prayers are offered at all
temples (Oct).
Ramadan:
Muslims spend the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar fasting in the daytime, and
breaking their fasts nightly with delicious
Malay sweetmeats served at stalls outside
mosques (late October in 2003).
Hari Raya
Puasa:
The end of Ramadan, which Muslims celebrate
by feasting, and by visiting family and
friends; this is the only time the region's
royal palaces are open to the public,
including Brunei's, where the holiday is
known as Hari flays Aidilfitri
(late Nov in 2003).
Christmas:
Shopping centres in major cities compete to
create the most spectacular Christmas
decorations (Dec 25).
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