Malaysia Culture

Regular food in Malaysia, Goring
Maggy Goring

Let see brief about Malaysia before start discussion on Malaysia culture. Malaysia is one of the largest countries in south east Asia. It has vast geographical area of more than 127,724 square miles. Known as the pride of Asia, Malaysia frequently tops global rankings in terms of satisfaction and economic power. Moreover, it is also ranked currently as the world’s 44th most populated country, with the current population at the head count of almost 30 million. If you are a foreign national looking to live elsewhere or simply a tourist on your dream vacation, Malaysia could be the perfect location for you. With over 13 federal states, Malaysia guarantees that no matter who you are or where you come from, there will always be a place for you. Furthermore, Malaysia as a country is rich with culture, history and heritage- making every single day hold new adventures for you.

If you would like to begin your journey towards living in Malaysia, do not hesitate to contact us at S & F Consulting Firm. We are a consultancy agency who are officially registered agents in Malaysia. Thus, we ensure you that we will do all that we can for your foray into living in this beautiful country fuss-free. But first, it is always a good idea to have knowledge of what is the culture in Malaysia in 2019. Provided below is an overview of what the culture and lifestyle in Malaysia now a day.

Culture in Malaysia

Muslim Raya Fashion

Before getting into the details of the culture in Malaysia, it would be best to have a brief overview of Malaysia’s.

Malaysia nation was formed in 1965 after their liberation from British colonization. And their subsequent split from Singapore. Currently, Malaysia is a multiracial country, where there are three major races as such:

  • 68% of the country’s population being either Malay (Bumi Putra) and Orang Asli
  • 23.3% being Chinese
  • 7% being Indian
  • 1% of the remaining are classified as others (including expatriates).

The national language is Malaysian or Bahasa Melayu, however, English is still widely used and accepted in almost all parts of the country. Besides English, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil are also spoken nationwide. Moreover, many government services are also offered in English. Moreover, in many parts of Malaysia, Tamil and Mandarin are also used in government proceedings.

While Malaysia is a secular country, Islam is treated as the national language, with 61.3% of the population practicing it. This makes many states in Malaysia have similar laws to the Islamic law culture.

Because of its multi ethno-racial nature, food in Malaysia is perhaps a uniting point. This nation truly offers the widest range of cuisines. There are the local delicacies (Malay, Indian, Chinese and Baba Nyonya). And each state also offers delicacies (Kajang Satay all the way to Penang Laksa). However, modern cuisines offer a unique mash up of international cuisines from all over. Such as Western, East Asian and South American mixed with the traditional elements of Malaysian cuisine.

If you’re completely new to the country, do try the following local dishes, these have been ranked as the most cultural dishes in Malaysia.

  • Nasi Lemak
  • Laksa
  • Cendol
  • Char Kuey Teow
  • Roti Canai
  • Teh Tarik

Etiquette in Malaysia

As a foreigner to Malaysia, it would be best for you to familiarize yourself with the local etiquette. as well, in order to avoid any future misunderstandings.

How to greet

As Malaysia culture follows the codes of Islam, the traditional handshake is not used. Rather a “salam” is uttered while gripping both the hands of the person you greet.

Dress code

Once again, as Malaysia mainly follows the codes of Islam, Malaysian people tend to dress more conservatively. With some religious or cultural heritage sites having specific rules for what type of clothing they allow.

General gestures

When out in a group, it is considered impolite to pass things with your left hand.

To conclude, Malaysia is a beautiful and culturally diverse country. With its multi-racial attribution, it is truly a wonderful place to both live in and visit as a tourist.

Bukit Bintang Area, Food courts
Food courts in Bukit Bintang

Muslim festivals are not eye catchy and short holidays (1-2 days) whereas Chinese holidays 1 week and onward. Dipabali celebration also remarkable in Malaysia. But, each group of religious are celebrating with freedom. Some birthdays like Sultan are followed strictly as day off. As Malaysia culture, Saturday and Sunday, weekend is totally different than other days. People enjoyed a lot with friends and family and night become light. Shisha (Smoking) is a famous smoking trend between all religious people. Bukit Bintang area in Malaysia gets huge crowd in weekend. Foreign and local bars become busy by foreign and local tourist with drink dancing. Heavy music and sound make soul dancing at nighttime in Bukit Bintang Area. A lot of foods, sea fish, meat shops are in Bukit Bintang Area. Massage, Spa, relax centers are a lot in this area to make life cheerful. Nasi Goring is a common food in every place, but I found no such tasty. As all follow traffic signal, so, follow signal while cross the road. It is noticeable that, few people walk along the road in main town as most of them do needful by car and bike. 7 Eleven and KK Shop are much popular as can find in every place in Malaysia. And, Mama Shops are famous also for Indian food. Malaysia is a good place for any business like service, trade & manufacture. Business Open Support Center, No. 1 in Malaysia. It's faster than ever and cost in Ringgit 3500 only.

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