- Let's take a look at the map
- How Malaysia celebrates New Year
- National traditions
- Useful information for travelers
An amazing symbiosis of eastern equatorial exoticism and modern achievements of human engineering is distant Malaysia. The foot of a Russian tourist still does not step here too often, but the lucky ones who have arrived fully enjoy the urban landscapes of Kuala Lumpur, and the black volcanic beaches of the island of Langkawi, and live communication with smart orangutans in Borneo. And here you can also celebrate the New Year! Malaysia willingly adopts European traditions, and most of the country's major cities celebrate their favorite worldwide holiday with a grand scale and oriental luxury.
Let's take a look at the map
Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia on the Malacca Peninsula and several islands in the South China Sea. The proximity of the equator determines the type of Malaysian climate. Hot and humid weather throughout the year is also caused by air masses that form monsoons:
- In December and January, West Malaysia is in the zone of influence of the northeast monsoon, which originated in the upper Pacific Ocean. The wind brings a large amount of precipitation, which falls in the form of strong, but short-lived showers, usually in the afternoon or at night.
- On the islands of Langkawi, Penang and Pangkor, the rains usually end by December, and therefore there is a chance to celebrate the New Year on the beaches of Malaysia, enjoying the sun.
- The air temperature throughout the year in the country changes little and thermometers during the New Year holidays usually show about + 27 ° C. The water in the coastal zones warms up about the same, and therefore swimming brings only pleasant comfortable sensations.
Despite the fact that the country distinguishes both the rainy season and a relatively dry period, high air humidity is constantly present there. At temperatures approaching + 30 ° C, this can cause uncomfortable sensations in people suffering from vascular diseases. When planning to spend your winter holidays in Malaysia, carefully weigh the physical capabilities of your own body!
How Malaysia celebrates New Year
The development of the tourism business is inevitably accompanied by the emergence of new and unusual traditions, and Malaysia in this sense is no exception.
Preparation for the holiday begins well in advance. All shopping malls, office buildings and residential areas are decorated with ornate Christmas trees, colorful illumination and Santa figurines. Malaysians do not prepare a special New Year's program, they just go out with their families and friends, congratulate the people they meet, throw confetti and streamers into the crowd and wait for midnight. At the time of the New Year, a fire show begins in the capital of Malaysia. It looks so impressive that hundreds and thousands of people come here just for the sake of it. Fireworks thunder and sparkle for half an hour, and its epicenter is the Petronas Towers and the business center of Kuala Lumpur.
The next day, you can entertain yourself with a trip to the local Disneyland. Especially if you celebrated the holiday with children. The theme park is called Genting Highland and is located outside the city. The range of entertainment includes roller coaster rides, participation in rides and photos with local Santa Clauses. The park is located at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, and therefore the heat is not felt there too much.
National traditions
In addition to the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, it is customary in Malaysia to celebrate the holiday in accordance with Chinese traditions, as well as the Muslim and Hindu New Years.
The first to celebrate the next year are Hindus. Their holiday is called "Diwali" and in another way it is called the holiday of the autumn harvest. Diwali is usually celebrated in early November. The main feature of the holiday is thousands of lamps lit in honor of Lakshmi and fireworks launched into the night sky. It is customary for the whole family to gather at Diwali to receive blessings from elders and wish their families well-being and prosperity.
Malaysia celebrates New Year in Chinese style widely and magnificently. It is timed to coincide with the second winter new moon and occurs most often at the end of January or the first half of February. The most important and long-lasting holiday of ethnic Chinese living in Malaysia begins with the launch of fireworks and incense burning. These rituals are designed to scare away evil spirits and attract happiness, peace and prosperity to homes.
The main signs of the coming of the New Code in Chinese are thorough cleaning and decoration of homes, new clothes bought in huge quantities in shopping centers, and worries about dinner. All family members take part in it, and the hostesses begin to think over the festive menu and buy food the day before. The main participants in the festive table are Peking duck, chicken in sweet and sour sauce, numerous pastries, as well as niangao cookies. It is made from rice flour and is called the symbol of the New Year's table.
Children congratulate their parents and other senior family members and receive from those red envelopes with reciprocal congratulations and cash gifts. According to Chinese traditions, the New Year is the best time to reconcile, forgive each other's insults and cleanse the soul of unnecessary bad thoughts.
Useful information for travelers
- The cheapest flight to Kuala Lumpur will be offered by representatives of Etihad Airways. They sell tickets from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to the capital of Malaysia and back for $ 640. On the way, you will have to make a change in Abu Dhabi and spend about 13 hours on the flight, excluding the connection.
- You can fly on board Aeroflot to Dubai and transfer there to a Malaysia Airlines plane. The price of the issue is from $ 660.
- Malaysian Airlines also fly from the Russian capital. With a docking all in the same Dubai, you will get to Kuala Lumpur for $ 680.
When planning a tour to Malaysia to celebrate the New Year, book in advance both flights and hotels. Especially when it comes to the period when the next year according to the Chinese calendar comes. At this time, millions of ethnic Chinese are moving around the world hoping to reunite with their families during the holidays, and therefore you will not be able to find the right hotel room or plane ticket at an affordable price the day before.
