Festivals of Malaysia

Muslim festivals
Ramadhan/ Puasa / Sahur
Ramadan (Arabic: Raman, IPA: [rmdn]; variations Turkish: Ramazan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God. Muslims fast for the sake of God (Arabic: trans: Allah) and to , offer more prayer than usual. Compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards by about eleven days each year depending on the moon; thus, a person will have fasted every day of the Gregorian calendar year in 34 years' time. Muslims believe Ramadan to be an auspicious month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri/Hari Raya Puasa / Hari Lebaran

Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr (Arabic du l-Fir), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fir means "breaking the fast". The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal.Eid-ul-Fitr has a particular salah (Islamic prayer) consisting of two raka'ah (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall.[1] It may only be performed in congregation (Jamaat) and has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying Allah-u-Akbar [God is Great]), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school.[2] This Eid ul-Fitr salah is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard (obligatory), Mustahabb (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable).Muslims believe that they are commanded by God, as mentioned in the Qur'an, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan[3] and pay the Zakat al-fitr before doing the Eid prayer.

Hari Raya Haji / Haji Raya Korban / Hari Raya Aidiladha

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: d al-A, IPA: [idalada], "feast of sacrifice") or "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a sheep to sacrifice instead.[1]Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims, whose basis comes from Sura 2 (Al-Baqara) Ayah 196 in the Qur'an.[2] Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two Raka'ah (units) followed by a sermon (khubah).

Chinese festivals
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name (Pinyin Chn Ji), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhng Yu) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Ch X () or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".
Lantern festival

The Lantern Festival (also known as the Yuanxiao Festival or Shangyuan Festival in China; Chap Goh Meh Festival in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore; Yuen Siu Festival in Hong Kong, and "Tt Thng Nguyn" or "Tt Nguyn Tiu" in Vietnam); is a festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the Chinese calendar, the last day of the lunisolar Chinese New Year celebration. It is not to be confused with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is sometimes also known as the "Lantern Festival" in locations such as Singapore and Malaysia. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns officially ends the Chinese New Year celebrations.In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, for only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones; in modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs. For example, lanterns are now often made in shapes of animals.In some region and countries, this festival is also regarded as the Chinese version of St. Valentine's Day, a day celebrating love and affection between lovers in Chinese tradition and culture.
Qingming Festival(Tomb Sweeping Day)

The Qingming Festival (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Qngmng Ji; eh-e-j: Chheng-bng-chehorChhi-mi-choeh, Ching Ming Festival in Hong Kong, Vietnamese: Tt Thanh Minh), Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese calendar). Astronomically it is also a solar term (See Qingming). The Qingming festival falls on the first day of the fifth solar term, named Qingming. Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime ( Tqng,"treadingonthegreenery")andtend to the graves of departed ones.

Dragon Boat FestivalDumpling Festival

The Dumpling or Duanwu Festival, which is sometimes known as the Dragon Boat Festival in Malaysia, is a widely celebrated event usually held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Though this festival holds more significance in China, it is still observed by the Chinese population in Malaysia, albeit in a more subtle manner. During the celebrations, many Chinese households prepare zhong zi, a dumpling made of glutinous rice containing various kinds of stuffing, wrapped in either bamboo or lotus leaves. The dumplings, much like the mooncake, is a product borne out of a story that has become an integral part of Chinese history. Historians believe Qu Yuan, a great poet, a royal advisor to the emperor, and the epitome of patriotism took his life by drowning himself in a river. The legend relates that a fisherman dreamtthatthepoetsbodywasbeingeatenbyfish,sothepeoplethrewrice dumplings into the river in the hope that the fish would eat the dumplings instead of their beloved hero.

Mooncake Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese: ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people.[1] A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou Dynasty from 3,000 years agoThe 15th day of the eighth lunar month marks the day when the full moon shines brightly and families and friends gather under the moonlit sky to savour mooncakes (the traditional food of this festival), pomelos and pots of Chinese tea. Mooncakes come in a variety of sweet and savoury fillings.
Hungry Ghost Festival

The seventh month of the lunar calendar is when the hungry ghost festival is celebrated. This event is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated worldwide by Chinese people and it involves the offering of food and burning of offerings (i.e., incense and papier-mch material items such as clothes, gold, cars and houses) as a form of ancestor worship with the meaning of extending filial piety from descendants to their ancestors even after their deaths. These offerings can be seen along roadsides and on open grounds as a means of appeasing and respecting the departed. In some areas of Malaysia you may even chance upon Wayangs (Chinese operas) which are staged to entertain the wandering spirits. During this festival puppet shows are traditionally held along with live singing performances.
Winter Solstice Festival

The Dngzh Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: ; pinyin: Dngzh; literally "the Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the Dongzhi solar term (winter solstice) on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. It occurred on December 22 (East Asia time) in 2010.The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram f (, "Returning").

Hindu festivals
Deepavali

Diwali (also spelled Devali in certain regions) or Deepavali popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons.[1] For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BCE. The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Dpval), which translates into "row of lamps".[7] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dpas) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.[8] These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.[9] Firecrackers are burst in order to drive away evil spirits.[10][11][12] During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.
Thaipusam

Thaipusam ( Taippcam ?) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). It is celebrated not only in countries where the Tamil community constitutes a majority, but also in countries where Tamil communities are smaller, such as Singapore[1] and Malaysia. The festival is also referred to as Thaipooyam or Thaippooyam ( Taippya ?). The word Thaipusam is derived from the month name Thai and Pusam, which refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel "spear" so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadam. There is a misconception among people that Thaipusam marks Murugan's birthday; however, it is believed that Vaikhasi Vishakam, which falls in the Vaikhasi month (May/June), is Murugan's birthday.
Puthandu

Puthandu or better known as Tamil New Year, is the celebration of the first day of the Tamil new year in mid-April by Tamils in Tamil Nadu, in Pondicherry in India, in Sri Lanka and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Reunion Island and Mauritius. People in the world greet each other on this day by saying Iniya Tamizh Puthaandu Nalvaazhthukkal The festive occasion is in keeping with the Hindu solar calendar.
Pongal

Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamilians in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry., Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore and Mauritius. This South Indian festival, Thai Pongal, is timed by an astronomical event - the winter solstice. Pongal is traditionally dedicated to the Sun God Surya, and marks the beginning of the northward journey of the Sun from its southernmost-limit, a movement traditionally referred

to as uttarayana. It coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India as the winter harvest,[ and is usually held from January 1315 in the Gregorian calendar i.e. from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Thai.[5] This also represents the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian .
Navarathiri

Navratri, Navaratri, or Navarathri is a Hindu festival of worship of Shakti and dance & festivities. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The 10th day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or Dussehra
Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.The festival, also known as Ganeshotsav ("festival of Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).
Onam Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India.[1] The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. It falls during the month of Chingam (AugustSeptember) and lasts for ten days. The festival is marked by various festivities including intricate flower carpets, elaborate banquet lunch, snake boat races, Puli Kali, Kaikottikkali etc.

Sivarathiri
"Maha-Sivaratri" is a Hindu festival observed on the night of the fourteenth day of the dark half in the month of 'Magha', in Tamil 'Masi', corresponding to the English months 'FebruaryMarch', in honour of Siva, one of the Hindu Trinity, representing the destructive aspect in the universe.Though generally, the night time is considered sacred and suitable for the worship of the feminine aspect of' the deity and the day time for that of' the masculine, yet on this particular occasion Siva is worshipped during the night time, and as a matter of fact, it is specially enjoined to be observed then. The observance of the Vratha is believed to secure for the devotee immunity from the eftects of sin committed either wittingly or unwittingly. The night is divided into four quarters, each quarter going by the name of a Jama called also Yama and pious people keep awake during every one of it , worshipping Iswara.

Christian festivals
Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crstesmsse, literally "Christ's mass") is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ,[5][6] celebrated generally on December 25[2][3][4] as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide.[7] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations,[8][9][10] is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians,[1][11][12] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
Maundy Thursday

The date is always between 19 March and 22 April inclusive, but these dates fall on different days depending on whether the Gregorian or Julian calendar is used liturgically. Eastern churches generally use the Julian calendar, and so celebrate this feast throughout the 21st century between 1 April and 5 May in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. The Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.[1] It is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition.
Good Friday

Good Friday (from the senses pious, holy of the word "good"),[1][2] is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Based on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on a Friday (John 19:42).[4] The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon.[5][6][7][8][9][10] A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20), points to Friday, 3 April AD 33.[11][12]
Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum), sometimes known as Easter Eve[1] or Black Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body laid in the tomb.Holy Saturday is sometimes called Easter Saturday,[2] though this phrase is more correctly applied to the Saturday in Easter Week.[3

 Easter Sunday

Easter (Old English: ostre; Greek: , Paskha; Aramaic: Pasa; from Hebrew: Pesa) is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year.[1] According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to have occurred between AD 26 and 36.
Easter Monday

Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures. Easter Monday in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar is the second day of the octave of Easter Week and analogously in the Eastern Orthodox Church is the second day of Bright Week.

Easter Tuesday
The first eight days of the Easter season form the Easter octave and are celebrated as solemnities of the Lord. Each day is another little Easter. The Alleluia verse is repeated throughout the octave: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!"
New Year's Day

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome. With most countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, New Year's Day is the closest thing to being the world's only truly global public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.

Others
Gawai Dayak

Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated in Sarawak on 1 June every year. It is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak (and neighboring Indonesian Kalimantan): the Iban, also known as Sea Dayak and the Bidayuh people, also known as Land Dayak. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means "Dayak Festival". Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as "ngabang" in the Iban language. Those too far away to visit would receive greeting cards.
Kaamatan

The Kaamatan festival is an annual event in the cultural life of the Kadazandusuns of Sabah since time immemorial. In its deepest sense, Kaamatan festival is a manifestation of Creator and Creation relationship, as well as Inter-Creations relationship. It embodies the principal acts of invocation of divinities, appeasing, purification and restoration, re-union of benevolent spirits, and thanksgiving to the Source of All. It is part of a complex wholesome Momolian religious system centered on the paddy rites of passage and the life cycle of Bambarayon - the in-dwelling spirit of paddy.
Kaul

Kaul, Koul, or Kaula (Kashmiri: (Devanagari), ( Nastaleeq)) refers to Kashmiri Pandit sub-caste. The word 'Kaul', meaning 'well born', is derived from the term Kula, the Sanskrit term for family or clan.
Visakhi

Vaisakhi (Punjabi: viskh, Hindi: baiskh, also known as Baisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi) is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially Punjab by all Punjabis regardless of religion. In Sikhism the Khalsa was founded on same day as the Vaisakhi festival, so Sikhs celebrate twice as much.