5 Things You Don’t Know About Christmas in Malaysia
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I might be the only Malaysian that you follow on Medium so today’s topic might be interesting to you (I hope). Here are 5 things that you may not know about Christmas in Malaysia.
- Christmas is “Krismas” or “Natal” in the Malay language; the former is a loanword from English and the latter from Portuguese. There are plenty of linguistic additions to the local language as a result of colonisation. (Brief history of Malaysia — The Portuguese were the first colonial powers to rule Malaya (old name of Malaysia), followed by the Dutch and British.) I have never personally used the word “Natal” or greet someone with “Selamat Hari Krismas” (Merry Christmas in Malay). It is always in English even when we are having a conversation in Malay.
- Christmas Day is a public holiday in Malaysia which is quite surprising to some foreigners as Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country (although it is a secular state). None of my Muslim friends have any qualms about “celebrating” Christmas, albeit not in a religious manner, which brings me to the next few points on how Malaysians celebrate Christmas. I’ll keep religious activities out of this post so that the content applies to every Malaysian regardless of religion.
- Secret Santa is very common among office employees. Sometimes, it is even a mandatory exercise imposed by the company. Usually there would be a minimum amount for the cost of the gift so that you can’t go too cheap. Based on my experience, it is usually set at about RM 10 to 20 which is about USD 2.20 to USD 4.50. I know that many of you must be shocked by how low the gift budget is but you have to understand that this is Malaysia. That amount of money can actually buy a pretty nice lunch in a restaurant. Of course, there would be people like this guy who would give terrible gifts that cost even less than that, or don’t buy anything at all. I could actually write a story about awful Secret Santa gifts but I guess I’d do it next year. I already have a Christmas poem lined up for next week, so remember to check it out! (I only post once a week; it’s a self-imposed rule.)
- Almost every shopping mall in Malaysia will be all decked out in Christmas decorations from as early as mid November. Some big malls in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley don’t seem to hold back on the expenses as they go all out with festive decorations. I have seen entire concourse area of malls transformed into winter wonderland, Santa’s workshop, or even small towns complete with “buildings”. Going to the mall is one of Malaysians’ favourite pastimes and even more so during the festive season just to take pictures. Actual shopping is optional. I love how festive it is with Christmas carols playing all over the mall. (Fun Fact: Our bigger malls usually have a lot of facilities including supermarkets, restaurants, street food / hawker centres, banks, post office, arcades, gym, bowling centres, ice skating, massage parlours, spa, outdoor gardens, pet shops and even hospitals.)
- It is very common to eat out on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Usually, you would have to book a table in advance unless you don’t mind eating dinner at 5.30 pm, and even then you might not be able to dine in as some nicer restaurants are closed between lunch and dinner services. There is usually roast turkey with cranberry sauce on the menu which reminds me of the American thanksgiving meal. I love dining out on Christmas Eve but haven’t had the chance to do so since the pandemic. I probably won’t do it this year either but that’s okay. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas. No, it’s not all about food although that’s a major part of it.
God bless you, my friends and happy Christmas shopping!
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