12 National Holidays in Malaysia - What Are Malaysia Public Holidays and Special Occasions?

By CN Pong
Other than Thailand, the national holidays in Malaysia is probably more than any other country in Southeast Asia, totaling 13 days. And from time to time, due to special occasions and events new ones are added on to the list. There are also a couple of other public holidays that are only celebrated in certain states such as the birthdays of rulers. In this article, we will look at these national holidays in Malaysia.

1 - New Year's Day
As with any other country, New Year's Day is celebrated on the first day of the year. The main celebrations are held on the eve, at around midnight especially at the night clubs.

2 - Chinese New Year
In 2012, Chinese New Year will be celebrated on the 23rd January. This festival is celebrated with loud firecrackers, Lion Dances and Mandarin oranges.

3 - Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
This will be celebrated on the 5th February 2012, and is a solemn celebration which is mainly prayers at the mosques.

4 - Labor Day
Celebrated on the 1st May every year as a day of appreciation for workers. No prominent celebration.

5 - Wesak Day
This will be celebrated on 5th May 2012 by Buddhist throughout the country. Celebrations will be held with prayers held at the Buddhist temples and vegetarian food is usually served.

6 - Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the Malaysian King and in 2012, his birthday will be celebrated on 2nd June. The King honors honorary titles to members of the public who have perform outstanding achievements at his Palace.

7 - Hari Raya Aidilfitri
This celebration marks the end of the month long fast which Muslims undertake and is celebration in grandeur with Open Houses throughout the country and some of the best Malay cuisine. In 2012, it will be celebrated on 19th August.

8 - Independence Day
Held on 31st August each year, it celebrates the country's Independence from the British colonist in 1957. A grand parade is held each year, usually in the capital city.

9 - Hari Raya Haji
This celebrates the pilgrimage that Muslims are supposed to perform in Mecca at least once in their lifetime. In 2012, it will be celebrated on 26th October.

10 - Deepavali
Celebrated by the Indian community throughout the country, it celebrates the triumph of Light over Dark and is an excellent time to sample great Indian cuisine. This will be held on 13th November 2012.

11 - Awal Muharram
This celebration marks the time when Prophet Muhammad migrated to Madinah and is celebrated with a solemn parade. In 2012, it will be held on 15 November

12 - Christmas
You can know that Christmas is coming when the shopping malls start their decorations about a month before the day. Like everywhere else in the world, Christmas is celebrated on 25th December each year.

Holidays in Malaysia can be confusing at times some National holidays only applied in certain states and also, the dates of each holiday is not fixed. It might be vary.

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The Best Places To Go To On A Holiday To Malaysia

By Bea Metcalfe
Go on a holiday to Malaysia to experience things that you would not be able to see and do anywhere else in the world. Watch strange and wonderful animals as the frolic amongst beautiful flora in the Malaysian jungles. Swim among the underwater gardens, the coral reefs located around the islands of Malaysia and see colorful fish live among interesting anemone. The islands and jungles of Malaysia will provide you endless amount of adventure that you can brag about for years. But there is more, Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures and traditions that are colorful and interesting.

As you travel around the country on your holiday to Malaysia, you will marvel at the stark contrast from one place to another. If you are traveling by air, you will disembark at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The city of Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and is a modern city the likes of the most modern cities in the world. As you travel from the urban jungle of skyscrapers to the tropical jungles, the modern buildings begin to thin out and is replaced by more traditional dwellings made of wood.

One of the best places to go on your holiday to Malaysia is Borneo, mainly Sabah and Sarawak. You will be able to disembark at the airport in Kota Kinabalu to begin your adventure. Here's an itinerary that you could follow.

Day One: After a long trip to a different time zone, you would probably be suffering from jet lag so my suggests is to just spend the day lazing around the hotel to regain your strength for your adventure. If you'd like, you could take a stroll in Kota Kinabalu and sample some of the delicious local cuisines at the restaurants.

Day Two: Time for some swimming. Grab your beach wear and towel and head to the ferry port where you would be able to get on a ferry to one of the islands located in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. A number of these islands have resorts so if your accommodation is flexible, you could stay overnight at the island. You would definitely have fun snorkeling around the gorgeous corals or lazing on the beach, working on your tan.

Day Three: Conquer a mountain. Well actually it would take you two days or more to conquer Mount Kinabalu but a day would be enough for a sample of life at the foot of the mountain. Here is the Mount Kinabalu National Park which houses orchid gardens, hot springs and one the most famous flowers on Borneo, the huge Rafflesia which grows nowhere else in the world.

Day Four: Take a flight to Sandakan. What you will experience in Sandakan is different from Kota Kinabalu. In Kota Kinabalu, you would enjoy the scenery but in Sandakan you will enjoy the wildlife. You could either see the Orang Utans at the Sepilok Reserve or you could see the turtles at the Turtle Island Park. You may have to put up a night on Turtle Island and if you do plan on this excursion, it is best to make prior reservations because they only allow a limited number of people to stay on this island. At night and at the right time, you would be able to see adult turtles crawl onto the beach to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, it's truly fun to watch them scurry towards the sea.

Day Five: Visit the Sepilok Reserve and watch the Old Men of Borneo in their natural habitat. Here, Orang Utans are rescued from the hands of poachers and deforestation and rehabilitated so that they can be released in more suitable areas. Watch them feed or swing limberly from the trees. Sadly, the Orang Utan is an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling fast so visit them as soon as you can.

Day Six & Seven: Finish off the week by diving off Sipadan Island. No visit to Borneo on your holiday to Malaysia will be complete without a visit to this island which is known worldwide for its coral reefs. But if you pref not to get wet, you could spend these two days exploring the caves of Sarawak. These includes Mulu, Gomantong and Niah which are some of the best caves to explore in the world.

WorldRevier.com has independent travel reviews written by many travel experts including Holidays in Malaysia and the best places to go in Malaysia like Emerald Bay.
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