There are plenty of festivals, fairs and events in Malaysia, Let me first detail a few major events before describing sopme of the more interesting festivals. Perhaps the really big event in Malaysia is The Formula I World Championship Grand Prix which is held annually at the outstanding Sepang circuit. Here thousands of foreign visitors and Malaysians gather to watch the world’s finest FI drivers race and so far most of the races have been thoroughly exciting affairs.
The facilities at Sepang are very modern and of very high quality. Another event which is popular in Malaysia is the Malasian Games, in which the various states compete against each other in track and field. Usually states such as Selangor, Sarawak and Penang tend to get a lot of the gold medals on offer.the Malaysian Open Badminton Championship is yet another hugely popular event-Malaysians just love Badminton and it is one sport in which Malaysia is a world class competitor. Among famous festivals in this ASEAN country is Hari Raya. This is the day that marks the end of the Moslem fasting month and the Malays all try to get back home to celebrate Hari Raya. Many have open houses where their non Malay friends can come and partake of all the Hari Raya cookies and culinary offerings. The Chinese New Year is yet another important occasion in Malaysia and perhaps the highlight, at least for foreign visitors, is the exotic Lion Dance. On the eve of Chinese New Year people will have a dinner and remember their ancestors. The Indian festival of Deepavali is a bright, joyous, occasion and again Indian families will often invite their Malay, Chinese, Eurasian and Overseas friends to share their joy by inviting them to their home to partake of all the fiery and spicy Indian dishes on offer, Malaysians, I should add, just love their food.
In East Malaysia there are countless other festivals celebrated by the Dyaks and other communities that inhabit Sabah and Sarawak. Perhaps the best known is the Hari Gawai festival celebrated by the Iban and Bidayuh people. Be warned the rice wine they offer their guests is pretty potent. Thaipusam is an Indian festival that fascinates a lot of overseas visitors. On this occasion the place to head for is Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur. Here there are countless devotees carrying colourful kavadi, many are speared with ferrocious looking skewers, hooks and such like. Nobody seems to get hurt. They all then climb more than 250 steps to reach the temple at the top of Batu Caves. There you have it- a short run down on some of the better known events and festivals which are celebrated in Malaysia. Hope you have enjoyed reading about these. Thanks for reading.