Malaysian festivals: a year of celebrations

With Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous communities all celebrating their own festivals, Malaysia has something going on in most months of the year. Festivals are a brilliant time to visit, with lights, food and open houses, but they also affect transport, hotels and opening hours. Here’s what to know.

Many festivals follow the lunar or Islamic calendars, so their dates move from year to year. Always check the dates for the year you’re travelling.

The big ones

Chinese New Year

Usually in January or February. Red lanterns, lion dances, fireworks and lots of food. Chinese-run shops and stalls may close for several days, especially the first few days of the new year, but the atmosphere is great in places like Penang, Ipoh and KL’s Chinatown. Chap Goh Mei, the fifteenth day, marks the end of the celebrations.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

The end of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. Its date moves earlier by around 11 days each year. During Ramadan, Ramadan bazaars pop up across the country in the late afternoon, selling food for breaking the fast, and they’re well worth a visit. At Hari Raya itself, many people return to their hometowns (balik kampung), so highways, buses and flights are packed, and many Malay-run businesses close for a few days.

Thaipusam

A Hindu festival in January or February, honouring Lord Murugan. The biggest celebration is at Batu Caves near KL, where huge crowds of devotees walk in procession, many carrying elaborate kavadi. Penang has a big procession too. It’s an incredible sight, but very crowded. Go early, and be respectful.

Deepavali

The Hindu festival of lights, usually in October or November. Homes are lit with oil lamps and decorated with kolam (patterns of coloured rice or powder). Little India areas such as Brickfields in KL and Penang’s Little India are full of stalls in the weeks before.

Christmas

Malls go all out on decorations, and there are celebrations especially in Sabah and Sarawak, where there are large Christian communities.

Festivals in Borneo

• Gawai Dayak: The harvest festival of Sarawak’s Dayak communities, around the start of June. A great time to visit Kuching and the longhouses.
• Kaamatan: Sabah’s harvest festival, celebrated through May, with cultural events and the Unduk Ngadau pageant.

Other dates to know

• Wesak Day: Celebrates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, usually in May, with temple visits and processions.
• Hungry Ghost Festival: In the seventh lunar month (around August), with street opera, offerings and burning incense.
• Mid-Autumn (Mooncake) Festival: Usually in September or October, with lanterns and mooncakes.
• Merdeka Day (31 August): National Day, marking independence in 1957, with parades and fireworks.
• Malaysia Day (16 September): Marks the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

Open houses

At major festivals, many Malaysians hold an “open house”, inviting friends, neighbours and sometimes the public in for food. Some politicians and organisations hold big public ones. If you’re invited, go! Dress modestly, and bring a small gift or treat if it’s a private home.

Planning a route? See our Malaysia itinerary guide.