Malaysia is a unique country for its integrity between multiple races that are living in this country. Among multiple races, there are three main races in this country. One of the auspicious moments of staying in a multiracial country is the opportunity to celebrate and witness many types of traditional festivals. Each race has its reason for celebrating each festival and even when we are not celebrating another race’s festival, their celebration would make us happy. Not to forget the endless public holidays!
In that list, Deepavali is one of the prominent festivals for Indians all over the world. The way of celebrating may vary for each country but the main elements are the same for Deepavali celebration worldwide. People usually celebrate Deepavali any day between October to November months and there is a history for them to celebrate Deepavali. If you are not aware of the reason people celebrate Deepavali, this article is for you.
Why Deepavali Is Being Celebrated?
The word Deepavali originated from the Sanskrit word called dipavali which means row of lights. There are many religious histories connected to this Deepavali celebration. The celebration is also different for south Indians and north Indians. However, the main reason to celebrate Deepavali is to invite goodness and happiness into our life. Symbolically Deepavali also can be called the Festival of light. The particular day is dedicated to goodness and joy with friends and family. There are many traditions associated with Deepavali and the preparation for the festival usually starts approximately one month ago starting from buying new clothes and cleaning houses.
Traditions Of Deepavali in Malaysia
Days Before Deepavali
The main joy of following the tradition of Deepavali is the togetherness of family members and relatives on that day. The traditions start on few days before Deepavali by preparing sweet pastries such as Laddu, Paalgova and Janggiri. The traditional food of Indians also includes savoury food such as Murukku. Murukku is famous among Malaysians and is also favoured by all races in Malaysia. Besides preparing traditional snacks, cleaning and decorating the house is also part of Deepavali traditions. People usually decorate the exteriors of houses with clay lamps which is a symbol of light and represents the reason for celebrating the festival of light. The exterior of houses is also decorated with Kolam which is a decorative design using rice flours mixed with colours. Apart from being a decorative design, it is a belief that Kolam is a way of providing food for small insects and birds on an auspicious day.
A few days before Deepavali, prayers will be conducted in some houses as a memory of people who passed away, especially the elderly. It is an act of remembering them before the auspicious day and paying respect to them.
On the festival day, many Deepavali activities will be conducted on that day. Before visiting the temple on a divine day, it is a part of the tradition to take an oil bath which has both health and symbolic reasons for it. Symbolically, an oil bath brings goodness and it removes the darkness or bad luck on the day of the festival. Oil baths are believed to release stress and enable people to start the day in a relaxed manner. In some households, Indians follow the tradition of touching the elder’s feet for the blessing and the elders will bless them by saying some good words. The culture of bowing down and touching the feet of elders is to emphasize or express the respect they have for the elders.
The whole day of Deepavali will be spent at each friend’s and family’s houses. Firecrackers are also part of the day and it is also a symbol to avoiding bad luck or evil spirits. It also boosts the celebratory mood for the day. In Malaysia, it is a tradition to light the fireworks at the start of the day at midnight.
There are many places and shops available to buy the things needed for Deepavali celebrations in Malaysia.
Where you can shop during the Deepavali season?
1) Modern Store Indian Grocery
Modern store Indian Grocery expresses their quality of products with their impressive promotion on the website. On auspicious days like Deepavali, it is usual to conduct a feast that will be traditionally cooked at home. In order to cook various traditional dishes, Modern Store India Grocery contains all the Indian spices and groceries that are needed for the dishes. This grocery wins its customer’s hearts by providing quality services and products at reasonable prices. Being located in one of the busiest cities in Malaysia, people can buy all the Indian goods in one place which saves time. Conveniently, Modern Store Indian Grocery provides online shopping where you can buy all the products online.
Address:233, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours:9am -10:30pm
2) FabIndia Malaysia
Indians are known to have many traditional clothing types and the traditional attires will be made in various types of materials. The type of material, designs, colours and sizes are some of the important factors people look for when buying traditional attires. FabIndia is known for operating for many years and is one of the popular places to buy traditional Indian clothing. Indian attires such as Sarees, Lehenga, Kurti, Kurtas, Salwar Kameez and Dhotis are some of the popular Indian attires. The trends of Indian attires change every year which will be available at the places like FabIndia.
Address:NU Sentral Mall No.201 Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Lot No: L1-17, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Contact number: 03-22760718
FrangiPaani is located in Kuala Lumpur and is largely preferred by many people around that area. FrangiPaani specializes in providing satisfying North Indian cuisines and their impressive services add to the quality of this restaurant. This place is mainly listed in this article as they are popular for providing special menus on occasions like Deepavali which has a separate fan base. The customers are pleased by the various cuisines with great ambience.
Address:The Republik, Lot No.M.03, Mezzanine Floor, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
4) Deepavali Carnivals by Agenda Surya
Indians in Malaysia are very much familiar with attending Deepavali Carnival every year which is a great place to buy every Indian good in one place for a reasonable price. Deepavali carnival in Malaysia is popularly conducted by Agenda Suria event management company. Deepavali carnivals such as Global Indian Festival are well-known among Malaysians.
Address: Block 5 & 7, Level 11, The Boulevard Offices, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Contact number:03-2278 5555