Ethnocentrism Tak Boleh

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In the past few days, we have shared about the origin and purpose of each races' festivals in Malaysia. From the information, we might have a clearer picture why people celebrate their festivals in that way and of course when we know about the do's and don't of their festivals culture, we will be more careful to behave and to speak, at the same time we are showing our respect to them. When one another can accept and respect the other culture, ethnocentrism can be avoided.

Leave us a comment, we would like to hear your feedback on what you have learned from this page or what you think we can improve in the future.😊

The purpose of sharing various festivals of different races in this page is to instill the moral values of acceptance and respect. Through understanding on the origin and purpose of different festivals celebration, we would have a better understanding in their festivals. Even though Malaysia is a multiracial, multicultural and multi-religious country, we still believe that with acceptance and respect the differences of one another, we can still make Malaysia a harmony country.

Leave us a ❤️ at the comment below if you agree.

Thaipusam is a word which is combined with the name of the month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam. This specific star will be at the highest point during the Thaipusam festival. Thaipusam is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Thai in the Hindu calendar which is in January or February. It is a day for Hindu devotees to publicly offer prayers in fulfilment of vows. There are many types of offerings that devotee can makes to their deity Lord Murugan. Most often, devotees will focused more on Kavadi where they will go to an extent of piercing their bodies and carrying sacrificial burdens in an expression of faith and loyalty. This prevents the devotees from speaking and gives them great powers of endurance.

Pongal is also referred to as Thai Pongal, is a four days long harvest festival which falls in the month of Thai in the Hindus calendar that is January and February when crops like rice, sugarcane and turmeric are harvested. The four days of celebration are Bhogi Pongal, Thai Pongal or Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Indians celebrate Pongal which is a harvest festival that usually held in mid-January. This festival is celebrated as a day to thank and appreciate the Sun God for the bountiful crops as the farmers’ livelihood depends on it.

Deepavali is widely known as the Festival of Lights. It symbolises the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Deepavali will be celebrated around October and November every year. The oil lamps are lit to ward off evil. That's why they will lit the lamp during Deepavali. There are several stories behind Deepavali. In northern India, they celebrate the festival of Diwali is in honor of Rama's victory. The people of Ayodhya lit rows of clay lamps to welcome the return of King Rama to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana. The other story is about a celebration to honour Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of happiness and good fortune. It is believed that she roams the Earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean, and bright. The Hindus will light up the clay lamps at their houses so that she can find them and bless them. Diwali celebrations may vary in different communities but its significance and spiritual meaning is generally “the awareness of the inner light”. It is also the beginning of the new financial year for the business community.

In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants will prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with oil lamp and rangoli. During the Diwali people wear their finest clothes, take oil bath, offer puja (worship) to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth, light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where mithai (sweets) and gifts are shared.

Awal Muharram is Islamic New Year. Contrary to the translation of Muharram to English, which means “forbidden”, it is seen as the second holiest month, the first being Ramadan. Awal Muharram is also known as Maal Hijrah. The word Hijrah is derived from an Arabic word which means moving or emigrating, which is why this month Muharram concurs with the migration of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in the year 622AD. Prophet Mohammed needed to relocate because somebody had intentions to execute him. Consequently, the Prophet chose to go to a town known as Yathrib (known today as Medina). Hijrah signified freedom from suffering for the Muslims in Mecca. When the Prophet emigrated to Medina, Muslims there were indirectly saved from further persecution by the Meccan pagans. After the Hijrah, it was then declared by the Prophet in the Constitution of Medina that Muslims are a universal brotherhood with a unique identity in faith and ideology.

Hari Raya Haji (Aidiladha) falls on the 10th day of the month of Dzulhijjah, the last month of the Muslim calendar. For Aidiladha, in particular, it is a celebration that marks the completion of all the Pillars of Islam by fulfilling the fifth pillar, the Hajj. Muslims observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are ordained by Allah, to their best of ability. Among the most challenging forms of worship among these 5 pillars are the Saum (fasting during the whole month of Ramadhan) and the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah).

The Hajj pilgrimage is only obligatory once in a lifetime, for those who are physically, physiologically and financially abled. Muslims around the world, who are chosen to be the guests of The Most Merciful, answer the calling to perform the pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah. Despite coming from diverse backgrounds, cultures and statuses, they congregate at the same place with one objective - to submit completely to Allah. This is the time for Muslims to wholly express servitude to the Almighty by performing their Hajj.

This ritual originated from the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim a.s, his wife Hajar and Prophet Ismail a.s. For example, when Hajar was in a barren desert, alone with her infant, she did not lose hope. She believed that Allah was with her. And indeed, Allah miraculously provided them with zam zam water. Zam zam water still flows today, and pilgrims do not miss the opportunity to drink it.

The festival of Eid, also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa, falls on the first day of Syawal, the 10th month of the Hijrah (Islamic) calendar. It is a celebratory occasion following a month of fasting, which is known as Ramadan. Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic year. Puasa is Malay for “fasting”.

Fasting in Islam means abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and indulging in any form of behaviour that serves to nullify the fast. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and perform religious duties, such as reading the Quran. All Muslims are required to fast, with the exception of children who have not reached puberty, the feeble elderly, the sick whose health is likely to be severely affected by fasting, expectant mothers, and women nursing their children. Women who are menstruating can take a maximum of 10 days off. However, they must make up for each day taken off, at another time. Travellers are also permitted to eat during the fasting period provided they make up for the lost days later on. Fast is broken after sunset when it is time for the evening meal, which is known as Iftar. The breaking of fast can be performed individually or as a group. When breaking fast communally, individuals can take turns to undertake the necessary preparations for the majlis berbuka puasa (gathering for the breaking of fast).

The early form of the Mid-Autumn Festival was derived from the custom of moon worship during the Zhou Dynasty over 3,000 years ago. Ancient Chinese emperors worshiped the harvest moon in autumn, as they believed that the practice would bring them a plentiful harvest the following year. The custom of offering sacrifices to the moon originated from worshiping the moon goddess, and it was recorded that kings offered sacrifices to the moon in fall during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045 – 770 BC).

In modern celebration, the festival was a time to enjoy the successful reaping of rice and wheat with food offerings made in honour of the moon. Mid-Autumn festival symbolizes the family reunion, on this day, all families will appreciate the moon in the evening, because it is the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest.

The Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival 端午节) is a traditional Chinese festival that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan 屈原 who was a loyal minister of the King of Chu in the third century BCE. The festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Qu Yuan was an intelligent poet. In the past, his wisdom and intellectual ways antagonized other court officials, thus they accused him of false charges of conspiracy and was exiled by the king. During his exile, Qu Yuan composed many poems to express his anger and sorrow towards his sovereign and people. Later, Qu Yuan drowned himself by attaching a heavy stone to his chest and jumping into the Miluo River. The people of Chu tried to save him believing that Qu Yuan was an honorable man; they searched desperately in their boats looking for Qu Yuan but were unable to save him.

Thus, every year, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate this attempt at rescuing Qu Yuan. Two of the most famous activities in Dragon Boat Festival are dragon boat racing and rice dumplings. The local people were said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. The dragon boat races represent the attempts to rescue and recover the body of Qu Yuan. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing. Besides, local people also began the tradition of throwing sacrificial cooked rice into the river for Qu Yuan, while others believed that the rice would prevent the fishes in the river from eating Qu Yuan’s body. At first, the locals decided to make zongzi in hopes that it would sink into the river and reach Qu Yuan's body. Thus, the tradition of wrapping the rice in bamboo leaves to make zongzi began the following year.


Photo source from https://www.freepik.com/vectors/background

Like all traditional festivals that have some superstitious belief to do and not to do, Chinese New Year is steeped with stories and myths.

✅Do’s
1. Playing firecrackers
One of the most popular is about the mythical beast Nian 年, who ate livestock, crops, and even people on the eve of a new year. According to folklore, Nian would rise from the sea each year to devour people and livestock. Fearful of becoming a tasty snack, people used to hide until one man made a life-changing observation: Nian, despite its sharp teeth and hearty appetite, was terrified of loud sounds and the colour red. It is for this reason that fireworks and the colour red feature so heavily in the celebration of Chinese New Year. Lion dances, often featuring loud noises, also mimic how Nian was driven back into the sea.

2. Reunion dinner 团圆饭
Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together. Wherever they are, people come home to celebrate the festival with their families. The New Year’s Eve dinner is the most important dinner for the Chinese. Big families of several generations sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. In China, normally fish and Dumplings (jiaozi) will be served. These two dishes signify prosperity. Other dishes are dependent on personal preference.

3. Giving Angpau (Lucky money) 压岁钱
Parents usually give their children angpau after the reunion dinner, wishing them health, growth, and good studies in the coming year. Money in angpau is believed to bring good luck, as red is Chinese’s lucky colour, so it’s called lucky money. Usually the red racket is given by adults, especially married couples, and elderly to young children in the New Year days.

❎Don’ts
1. No sweeping floors
The act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away. Taking out garbage symbolizes dumping out the good luck or good fortune from the house.

2. Black and white shirts are not allowed
Do not wear white or black clothes as these two colours are associated with mourning traditionally.

3. Don’t wash clothes and hair
People do not wash clothes on the first and second day, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of Shuishen (水神, the Water God). Hair must not be washed on the first day of the lunar year. In Chinese language, hair (发) has the same pronunciation (and indeed is the same character) as fa in facai (发财), which means 'to become wealthy’. Therefore, it is seen as not a good thing to “wash one’s fortune away” at the beginning of the New Year.

Photo source from CGTN, Mandarin zone, Dreamstime and Freepik.

Chinese New Year 农历新年 is the most important among the traditional Chinese festivals . It is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival 🏮🧧

The origin of the Chinese New Year festival can be traced back to about 3,500 years ago. Unlike the fixed new year of the Gregorian calendar on 1 January, the new Lunar New Year is celebrated on a variable date somewhere between late January and early February, determined by the appearance of the new moon.

Photo source from China Highlight
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/

Cheers to the 63th birthday to Malaysia🥳
We are Malay or Chinese, or Indian, or one of the many other minorities that live legitimately in Malaysia.
We are MALAYSIANS.

Happy National Day to Malaysia 🇲🇾 !

Stay tuned for more information of the festivals in Malaysia✨

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What's Ethnocentrism?

The belief that one's ethnic group is superior to another. Compared with people of different ethnicities, a person is more willing to be friends of the same ethnic group. One may evaluate other cultures based on their preconceptions of standards and customs and feel that their ethnic group is better than others. This thought of ethnocentrism can rose conflict among various ethnics groups, and destroy harmony among Malaysians.