Different Aspects of Culture

Malaysia is a special country as it is a multicultural and multilingual country. The population as on February Year 2007 is 26.6 million citizens consisting of 62% Malays, 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, and other minorities and indigenous peoples. Different races have different culture and tradition.

A multiracial country like Malaysia with a myriad of races, religions and cultures celebrates an array of festivals. The Malays celebrate Hari Raya Puasa, a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Haji. For the Chinese, Chinese New Year is the most celebrated among the Chinese festivals which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the Mooncake Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Lantern Festival. The majority of Indians in Malaysia are Hindus and they celebrate Deepavali, the festival of light, while Thaipusam is a celebration which pilgrims from all over the country flock to Batu Caves, Selangor. Other festivals like Good Friday, Christmas, Hari Gawai of the Ibans and Pesta Kaamatan of the Kadazan-Dusuns are also celebrated in Malaysia.

From the attire aspect, the Malay women wear baju kurung, kebaya and baju kebarung while the Malay men wear baju melayu with a songkok or cap on their head. Most of the clothing is made up of bright and bold colours. For the Chinese, the women wear the cheongsam. The cheongsam is especially popular around the time of the Chinese New Year and other formal gatherings. On the other hand, the Chinese men wear silk blouses, silk jackets and samfu that are made from one piece of fabric. Colourful saris are often worn by Indian women during ritual prayer in the temple and for everyday living while Indian men wear the same attire as the Malay men.

Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum) and includes other percussion instruments such as the rebab, a bowed string instrument; the serunai, a double-reed oboe-like instrument, flutes and trumpets. Besides that, the country has a strong tradition of dance and dance drama influenced by Thai, Indian and Portuguese culture. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre) and silat (a stylised martial art). Crafts like batik, weaving, and silver and brass work are also popular in Malaysia.

The bottom line is that Malaysia is consist of people with different races, religions and cultures, living together in a peaceful and harmonious country where modern technologies have improved by leaps and bounds. It makes Malaysia globally recognized and has attracted many tourists from far and wide. Malaysia is truly a special country.