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Festivals
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Three great religions - Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism - are represented in Malaysia, and they play a vital role in the everyday lives of the population. Some
religious festivals
are celebrated at home or in the mosque or temple. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the daytime for a whole month, but others are marked with great spectacle. Most of the festivals have no fixed dates, but change annually according to the lunar calendar.
Festivals of interest to tourists include:
Chinese New Year
, when Chinese operas and lion and dragon dance troupes perform in the streets (Jan-Feb);
Thaipusam
, during which entranced Hindu penitents carry elaborate steel arches, attached to their skin by hooks and skewers (especially at KL's Batu Caves; Jan/Feb);
Gawai Dayak
, when Sarawak's Iban and Bidayuk people hold extravagant feasts to mark the end of the harvest, best experienced at the Iban longhouses on the Ai, Skrang and Lemanak rivers near Kuching (June) and in Bidayuh communities around Bau; the
Dragon Boat Festival
in Penang, Melaka and Kota Kinabalu (June/July); the
Festival of the Hungry Ghosts
, Yue Lan, when there are many free performances of Chinese opera and wayang, or puppet shows (late Aug);
Navarathiri
, when Hindu temples devote nine nights to classical dance and music in honour of the deities (Sept-Oct); and the
Kota Belud Tamu Besar
, Sabah's biggest annual market, which features cultural performances (Oct/Nov). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Malaysia |