| HAPPENINGS Festivals and National Holidays
Sungai Petani, being a part of
multi-racial country, Malaysia, celebrates all the major
festivals of the three main ethnic groups, i.e. Malay,
Chinese and Indian.
The celebrations are not as
large-scale as in the major tourist destinations such as
Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Melaka, but they are very
original and not commercialised.
Seasons / Weather
Here in the tropic, average
temperatures are 30~34 oC
(day) and 26~30 oC (night).
Jan to April - usually hot (33~36 oC) and dry.
May to June - usually the wet and humid
months. The fruiting
season for delicious local
fruits such as durian, rambutan,
mangoes, mangosteen etc.
July to October - moderate
weather with occasional heavy rain, temperatures range from
28~32 oC.
November and December - windy and dry with lower rainfall, temperatures
range from 26~32 oC.
Main celebrations and
festivals are (See also "Photo Album - Culture"):
Thaipusam
(Hinduism) |
28th Jan 2003,
Wed
(Hindus pay homage to Lord Murugan with devotees carrying
the body-piecing 'kavadi' and perform rites such
as walk on short path paved with burning charcoal) |
| Birthday
of Sultan of Kedah |
20th
of Jan, Mon
(The birthday of Sultan of Kedah, a public holiday in
Kedah.)
|
| Chinese
lunar new year |
1
& 2 Feb, Sat & Sun. So 3 Feb is a make-up holiday.
(The first day of the new lunar calender. Lion
dance troups visit Chinese families door-by-door
on the first, second and third days of the new
year as a rite to renew a year with good luck and
prosperity.)
|
Muslim
Haji new year
(Hari raya
Haji) |
12rd Feb, Wed
(It is an important day for Muslim to pay respect
to their elders esp. those who have fulfilled
their pilgrimage to the holy city, Mecca.)
|
Chap-Goh-Meh
or Yuanxiao-Jie
(Chinese) |
15 Feb, Sat
(The 15th day of the first lunar calender month
with celebration such as arts and cultural
performances by school children.) |
Awal
Muharram
(Islamic
new year) |
4th Mar, Tue
(The first day of the Muharram month.) |
| Labour
day |
1st
May, Thu
Public holiday for the hardworking people. |
| Vesak
day |
15 May, Thu
(Celebrated by the Buddhist community with parade
of float procession. Falls on the 15th day of the
4th month of Lunar calender.) |
Birthday
of Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.
(Islamic)
|
25th
of May, Sat
(The birthday of Nabi Muhammad S.A.W.) |
| King's
Birthday |
1st
of Jun, Sat
(The official birthday of King of Malaysia, also
called "Yang Dipertuan Agung".) |
Dumpling
Festival
(Chinese
Culture) |
15th
of Jun, Sat
The day where Chinese community commemorate the
day the great Chinese scholar officer commited
suicide to protest against the corrupted
government during the ancient China dynasty.) |
National
day
or
Hari Kebangsaan |
31st
of Aug, Sun
(The day to celebrate the birth of the nation on
31-Aug-1957 where Malaysia obtained independance
from the British colonial master. On the same day
more than 30 years ago, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, a son of Kedah state,
annouced the independance day and he became the
first prime minister of Malaysia.) |
Jiu-Huang-Ye's
birthday
(Taoist) |
4 Oct, Sat
(Celebration ceremonies include worship rite at
the temple at Pekan Lama and a procession which
ends at the Sungai Petani river.) |
Deepavali
(Hinduism) |
23 Oct, Thu
(Celebrated by Indian community. Also called
"Festival
of Lights".
Twinkling oil-lamps, candles, colourful
electronic chasing lights brighten up every
Indian home, symbolising the lifting of spiritual
darkness.) |
Muslim
new year
(Hari raya
Aidil Fitri or Puasa) |
25
& 26 Nov, Tue & Wed
(Muslim
fast for 1 month, i.e. the Ramadan month, before this day.
The pasar Ramadan, i.e. bazaar where Muslim buy
all necessities for new year celebration is a
common scene. Main streets will be decorated with
colourful lights.) |
| Christmas |
25th Dec, Thu |
| New Year Eve |
31st Dec, Wed
(Celebrated by the small Catholic and Christian
communities with warm home gathering. Protestant
denominations such as Methodist, Baptist, and
Presbysterian are common in Malaysia.) |
|