Culture of Malaysia
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The Culture of Malaysia draws on the varied cultures of the different people of
Arts and music have a long tradition in Malaysia, with Malay art dating back to the Malay sultanates. Traditional art was centred on fields such as carving, silversmithing, and weaving.
Cuisine is often divided along ethnic lines, but some dishes exist which have mixed foods from different ethnicities. Each major religious group has its major holy days declared as official holidays. Official holidays differ by state; the most widespread one is Merdeka day which celebrates the independence of Malaya. Although festivals often stem from a specific ethnic background, they are celebrated by all people in Malaysia. Traditional sports are popular in Malaysia, while it has become a powerhouse in international sports such as badminton. Malaysia hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1998, the first Commonwealth Games where the torch passed through more countries than England and the host.
The Malaysian government has taken the step of defining Malaysian Culture through the "1971 National Culture Policy", which defined what was considered official culture, basing it around Malay culture and integrating Islamic influences. This especially affected language; only
Background
Malaysia consists of two distinct geographical regions: Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. Malaysia was formed when the Federation of Malaya merged with North Borneo (today the province of Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore (seceded 1965) in 1963,[1] and cultural differences between Peninsular and East Malaysia remain. During the formation of Malaysia, executive power was vested in the Perikatan (later the Barisan Nasional) coalition of three racially based political parties, namely the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).[2] UMNO has dominated the coalition from its inception.[3] Although Islam is the official state religion, the Constitution of Malaysia guarantees freedom of religion.[4]
Ethnic groups
Malaysia is a multi–ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society, and the many ethnic groups in Malaysia maintain separate cultural identities.
The
The
The
Some Eurasians of mixed European and Malay descent live in Malaysia. A small community in Malacca are descendants of former Portuguese colonists who married Malay women. While they have adopted Malay culture, they speak their own language and are Catholics.[7]
Each ethnic group has its own underlying culture that separates it from the others, and they have achieved different levels of integration. The Chinese have integrated with Malay culture in a number of areas, including parts of
Policies and controversies
The Malaysian government defined Malaysian culture through the issuance of the "1971 National Culture Policy".[15] It defines three principles as guidelines for Malaysian culture: that it is based on the cultures of indigenous people; that if elements from other cultures are judged suitable and reasonable they may be considered Malaysian culture; and that Islam will be an important part of national culture.[15]
Some cultural disputes exist between Malaysia and neighbouring
One dispute, known as the
In 2019, plans by the Ministry of Education to introduce of khat (Jawi calligraphy) in the Year 4 Bahasa Melayu syllabus in vernacular schools in the following year became a polemical issue.[22][23] Certain parties saw the issue as symptoms of creeping Islamisation while others saw it as beneficial towards the appreciation of a cultural heritage.
Arts
Traditional Malaysian art is mainly centred on the crafts of carving, weaving, and silversmithing.
Each ethnic group has distinct performing arts, with little overlap between them. Malay art shows some North Indian influence.
Architecture
Architecture in Malaysia is a combination of many styles, from Islamic and Chinese styles to those brought by European colonists.
Music
Traditional Malay music and performing arts appear to have originated in the
In East Malaysia, ensembles based around gongs such as agung and kulintang are commonly used in ceremonies such as funerals and weddings.[34] These ensembles are also common in the southern Philippines, Kalimantan in Indonesia, and in Brunei.[34] Chinese and Indian Malaysians have their own forms of music, and the indigenous tribes of Peninsula and East Malaysia have unique traditional instruments.[25] In countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia it is believed that performing at the house during Hari Raya (a traditional malay festival) is a good belief as it brings goodluck and fortune to the performers and host of the house.
Within Malaysia, the largest performing arts venue is the
Literature
The strong oral tradition that has existed since before the arrival of writing to what is now Malaysia continues today. These early works were heavily influenced by Indian epics.[39] Oral literature such as folktales flourished even after printed works appeared.[25] The Arabic Jawi script arrived with the coming of Islam to the peninsula in the late 15th century.[39] At this point, stories which previously had given lessons in Hinduism and Buddhism were taken to have more universal meanings, with their main story lines remaining intact.[31] Each of the Malay Sultanates created their own literary tradition influenced by preexisting oral stories and by the stories that came with Islam.[39] The arrival of the printing press in Malaysia was key in allowing literature to be accessed by more than those rich enough to afford handwritten manuscripts.[31] There was a division between the royal Malays, who knew English, and the lower classes, who only read Malay.[25] In the early years of the 20th century, literature began to change to reflect the changing norms of Malaysians.[31] In 1971 the government took the step of defining the literature of different languages. Literature written in Malay was called "The National Literature of Malaysia"; literature in other bumiputra languages was called "regional literature"; literature in other languages was called "sectional literature".[40]
Malay poetry is highly developed, and uses many forms.
The first Malay literature was in Arabic script. The earliest known Malay writing is on the
Different ethnic and linguistic groups have produced works in their own languages.[25] Chinese and Indian literature became common as the numbers of speakers increased in Malaysia, and locally produced works based in languages from those areas began to be produced in the 19th century.[39] Beginning in the 1950s, Chinese literature expanded; homemade literature in Indian languages has failed to emerge. English has become a common literary language.[25]
Cuisine
Malaysia's cuisine reflects the multiethnic makeup of its population,
Sometimes food not found in its original culture is assimilated into another; for example, Chinese restaurants in Malaysia often serve Malaysian dishes.[45] Food from one culture is sometimes cooked using styles taken from another.[43] This means that although many Malaysian dishes originate from another culture, they have their own identities.[42] Often the food in Malaysia is different from the original dishes;[46] for example, Chinese food is often sweeter in Malaysian versions than the original.[25] The Peranakans, Chinese who moved to Malaysia centuries ago, have their own unique cuisine that Chinese cooking techniques with Malay ingredients.[42]
During a dinner food is not served in courses, but all at once.
Clothing
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2015) |
As of 2013 most Muslim Malaysian women wear the
Several members of the Kelantan ulama in the 1960s believed the hijab was not mandatory.[47] By 2015 the Malaysian ulama believed this previous viewpoint was un-Islamic.[50]
By 2015 Malaysia had a fashion industry related to the tudung.[47] By 2015 Muslim Malay society had a negative reaction to Muslim women who do not wear tudung.[48]
Norhayati Kaprawi directed a 2011 documentary about the use of tudung in Malaysia, "Siapa Aku?" ("Who am I?"). It is in Malay, with English subtitles available.[50]
Holidays
Malaysians observe a number of holidays and festivities throughout the year, on both the federal and state level. Other festivals are observed by particular ethnic or religion groups, but are not public holidays. The main holy days of each major religion are public holidays. The most widespread holiday is the "Hari Merdeka" (Independence Day), otherwise known as "Merdeka" (Freedom), on 31 August. It commemorates the independence of the Federation of Malaya. This, as well as Labour Day (1 May), the King's birthday (first Saturday of June), and some other festivals are major national public holidays. Federal Territory day is celebrated in the three Federal territories (on 1 February).[25] Malaysia Day, held on 16 September, commemorates the formation of Malaysia through the union of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak, although it is celebrated mainly in East Malaysia.[51]
New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, and the start of the Islamic calendar are all public holidays.
Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, festivities are often participated in by all Malaysians. One example of this is the celebration of Kongsi Raya, which is celebrated when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincide. The term Kongsi Raya (which means "sharing the celebration" in Malay) was coined because of the similarity between the word kongsi and the Chinese New Year greeting of Gong xi fa cai. Similarly, the portmanteau Deepa Raya was coined when Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincided.[55]
A practice known as "open house" (rumah terbuka) is common during the festivities, especially during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Chinese New Year, and Christmas. Open house means that all well-wishers are received and that everyone, regardless of background, is invited to attend.[12] Open houses are normally held at the home of the host and foods are prepared by the host. There are also open houses held at larger public venues, especially when hosted by government agencies or corporations. Most Malaysians take the time off work or school to return to their hometowns to celebrate the festivities with their extended relatives. This practice is commonly known as balik kampung and usually causes traffic jams on most highways in the country.[56]
Sports
Popular sports in Malaysia include
Many international sports are highly popular in Malaysia. Badminton matches in Malaysia attract thousands of spectators, and Malaysia, along with Indonesia and China, has consistently held the
The Federation of Malaya Olympic Council was formed in 1953, and received recognition by the
Media
Much of the Malaysian media is tied to the ruling UMNO party,[74] with the county's main newspaper owned by the government and political parties in the ruling coalition.[75] Major opposition parties also have their own newspapers.[76] Besides Malay newspapers, there is large circulation of English, Chinese, and Tamil dailies.[77] The media has been blamed for increasing tension between Indonesia and Malaysia, and giving Malaysians a bad image of Indonesians.[78] There is a divide between the media in the two halves of Malaysia. Peninsular-based media gives low priority to news from East Malaysia, and often treats it as a colony of the Peninsular.[77] Internet access is rare outside the main urban centres,[74] and those of the lower classes have less access to non-government news sources.[75]
The regulated
Cinema
Malaysian filming has gone through five stages. The first stage occurred when narrative filmmaking began in 1933, with the production of Laila Majnun by a company operating out of Singapore. For the first couple of decades following World War II, most films were directed by directors from India and the Philippines, which produced a second stage of movies. The first locally directed film, Permata di-Perlembahan, was produced in 1952. It however failed in the cinemas. A third stage appeared as Singapore-based studios began to produce films in the 1950s, but the industry was subsequently damaged due to independence of Singapore and the loss of studios there. Indonesian films gained popularity at this time, although a small group of filmmakers continued to produce in Malaysia, forming the fourth stage. In the 1980s the local industry began to recover, bringing about the fifth and most eloquent stage, which covered more themes than any previous stage. This was also the first time non-Malay films began to have a significant presence.[82]
The government began to sponsor films in 1975, creating the National Film Development Corporation in 1981.[82] Through this the government offers loans to filmmaker's who want to develop films, however the criteria for obtaining funds has been criticised as promoting only commercial films. Due to this lack of government funding for smaller projects, a strong independent film movement has developed. There has been a large increase in short films, which in the past two decades have begun to gain status in international film festivals. Independent documentaries often cover areas which would normally be censored by the government, such as sex and sexuality, as well as racial inequality and tension. Although the government has criticised some films for not showing multiculturalism, its actions have been inconsistent in that respect, and often favour the Malay culture over others.[83]
See also
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Further reading
- Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof (26 April 2013). Issues in Traditional Malaysian Culture. Partridge Singapore. ISBN 9781482895407.