Some of the holidays are celebrated only in certain states and others are dependent on the sighting of the moon. The festivals below are a general guide to the primary festivals commonly celebrated in Malaysia January Festivals
New Years Eve/Day: is celebrated across Malaysia and in particular in Kuala Lumpur in a big way. Streets are closed for street parties, firework displays and entertainment galore can be found in every street in the city. The East Coat states are not as enthusiastic as celebrating the New Year but the hotels do have small celebrations by the beaches. On the day they visit the mosque to give thanks, decked in new colourful traditional clothing. Most Muslims have an ‘open house’ where everyone and anyone can visit for a meal. The date of the festival is never fixed as it is dependent on the sighting of the moon. Chinese New Year: heralds a new year of good things to come for the Chinese. The past years worries and hardships are chased away by the lighting of crackers. Watching a lion or dragon dance is a wonderful experience and the Chinese believe that it brings good luck to have a lion dance at their home. It is really a colourful, noisy and joyous time to be in Malaysia. April Festivals
Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday: this is celebrated on a quieter tone with Muslims visiting the mosque to give thanks and prayers to Allah. May Festivals
Wesak Day: is the most important day for the Buddhist because this marks the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha. Buddhist will dress in new clothes and visit the temples, which would have been spruced up for the occasion, to light candles and incense and give thanks to Buddha. Although this is one of the more quiet festivals it has a sense of charm and tranquillity to it. August Festivals
National Day: is celebrated on the 31st August each year and the national flag can be seen draped or flying from almost all buildings and homes. It is a very patriotic time for Malaysians as this is the day Malaysia received its independence from the British. Celebrations are held throughout the day with parades, marching, fireworks, music, cultural and traditional dances. September Festivals
Mooncake: usually falls in September but can also fall at the end of August. The Chinese celebrate this day to mark the downfall of the Mongols. Children run around with colourful lanterns and the speciality of the festival is the Mooncake, a sweet mixture of different types of nuts that have been mashed. The Chinese used to place secret messages inside the Mooncake that helped the people defeat the Mongols. October Festivals
Deepavali: is the Hindu New Year and a time to celebrate. Devotees, in bright coloured sarees and traditional outfits, break coconuts at the feet of the Gods to thank them for blessings they have received. December Festivals
Christmas: is celebrated all over the world. The shopping malls in Malaysia are decorated with huge Christmas trees, reindeers and anything and everything that symbolises this festival. It is colourful and quite enchanting to be in a tropical country celebrating Christmas. | 
