Hello again!
In this post, we’d like to show appreciation for the different cultures we can find in Malaysia. Cultural appreciation is defined as having the interest to learn another culture and acknowledging every part of the culture while giving credit to the society where it belongs.
⚠️ Disclaimer: We do not intend on being exclusive to any culture. On the contrary, we hope that people gain interest in learning more about diversity in a multicultural country. We are also aware that this post is unable to capture all the different ethnic groups in Malaysia.
Read on to explore! <3
IBAN
The Iban (Sea Dayak) ethnic group is the majority ethnic group in Sarawak. The picture shows the traditional costume for the male and female in the Iban ethnic group.
The female attire is called marik empang. In the picture, you can see that there is the sugu tinggi (silver headgear), marek empang (around the shoulder), kain karap (traditional woven skirt), lampit (silver belt), rawai (silver corset), tumpa pirak (silver bangles), selampai (sash) and the sementing buchai (coin corset).
The men’s attire is called kelambi, with sirat (long loincloth around the waist) worn together with a belt, armlet made from silver and a headgear decorated with hornbill feathers.
INDIAN
Indians are the citizens of India, the second most populated nation in the world. The picture above shows one of the most happening festivals, Deepavali or otherwise known as Diwali.
Diwali is the largest and most important festival celebrated by Indians. It is a five-day festival and is known as the festival of lights because the lights lit during the celebration symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. The lights also symbolise the victory of good over evil.
MALAY
Malays are the largest ethnic group in Malaysia. The picture shows a popular Malay food, Nasi Lemak.
Nasi Lemak is the most popular dish in Malay culture, and it is considered a national dish. Nasi Lemak comprises rice cooked in coconut milk topped with spicy sambal, served with a boiled egg, fried peanuts, fried anchovies, slices of cucumber, which is usually wrapped in banana leaves.
CHINESE
The Malaysian Chinese people, also known as Chinese Malaysians, are the second largest ethnic group in Malaysia. Most of them are descendants of Southern Chinese immigrants who arrived in Malaysia in the past. The picture above shows Chinese calligraphy.
Chinese calligraphy is a traditional and unique art form of writing characters from the Chinese language using ink and a brush. It is a tradition that roots from China through centuries of practice. It represents Chinese art. There are five major writing styles in Chinese calligraphy which are Zuan, Li, Tsao, Hsin, and Kai.
The Kadazans (Dusun) ethnic group are the indigenous people of Sabah, Malaysia. They are mainly distributed in Penampang on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding areas, and various places in the interior.
The most important festival of the Kadazans people is Kaamatan (Harvest Festival), where the spirit of the paddy is commemorated after the annual harvest. The event takes place in May and the last two days of the month are public holidays across Sabah.
BIDAYUH
The Bidayuh (Land Dayak) ethnic group is the second-largest indigenous group in Sarawak, after the Ibans. According to history, the Bidayuhs in Sarawak originate from Western Borneo.
The pictures above show some of the Bidayuh's traditional food. Kersem or fermented pork (top left picture) is one of the Bidayuh’s special food. Asam Siok, or chicken with rice and bamboo (bottom left picture) is one of the Bidayuh famous foods. This is the Bidayuh version of Manok Pansuh, an Iban dish that translates to bamboo chicken. Teput (right picture) is an alcoholic drink of the Bidayuh community and it is made out of sugarcane juice.
We hope that this post has been an eye-opener for you!
And that you take the opportunity to travel and explore the different heritage and culture of our country! ✈️
Comments
Post a Comment