8.3   Religion, Beliefs, Culture and Customs of each community



Presentation

As being mentioned before, all races have their own religions, beliefs, cultures and customs which are different from one another. All the differences form the multiracial society in Malaysia.













  1. Malays
    All Malays are Muslims but not all Muslims are Malays. The majority of Malays live in villages. They have strong social ties and strict social control. However, this characteristic seems to be loose today especially the Malays who live in urban areas (town). Normally, in the villages, the family unit is not small. They have...


8.3   Religion, Beliefs, Culture and Customs of each community


...a system of extended family. Family is regarded as important institution for social security. Generally, the Malays are regarded as humble people. They are said to be even-tempered and able to control themselves. They seldom show their angers towards others and avoid being frank. As a result, their feelings are difficult to be understood and it always leads to misunderstanding.
The Malays speak Malay language and Jawi is the original writing scripts that had been influenced by the Arabic writing scripts. The customs practiced are Adat Perpatih (Negeri Sembilan only) and Adat Temenggong (other states).
  1. Chinese
    Most of the Chinese are Buddhists. There are also Christians-Chinese and Muslim-Chinese. Among the famous beliefs among the Chinese are Taoism and Confucianism. Taoism means "The Way". Its teaching leans towards a love of nature and peace. It had enriched Confucianism and helped expanding the teaching of Buddha. Confucianism is teaching about social and moral philosophies as well as code of conduct that based on care, love, peace, harmony, humanity, wisdom, courage and loyalty.
    Among the cultures and customs of the Chinese are Chinese calendar, the desire to have a male first born, insistence on education and funeral rituals. The Chinese calendar has 12 months and known by certain animals, begins with rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and pig. The desire to have a first male born is crucial in retaining the family's name and the son is responsible to conduct rituals for dead parents. In education, they strongly believe that no matter how poor a person is, he or she deserves equal opportunities for education. Through education, one is able to improve his family and assist relatives in the future. During funeral, the Chinese often have processions when there are many deaths and it is...

8.3   Religion, Beliefs, Culture and Customs of each community


...very costly. Normally, music and bands accompany the procession. Those who celebrate 60th birthday are qualified to join the "Coffin Association" in which they are required to pay a monthly fee in order to have a good coffin.
  1. Indians
    As mentioned earlier, the Indians also have various groups. The religions of the Indians in Malaysia range from Hinduism to Sikhism, Christianity and Islam. However, 90% of Indians are Hindu and they speak Tamil. Thus, Tamil culture is more prevalent in Malaysia. The Indians celebrate Thaipusam (in Penang & Kuala Lumpur), Sithrapatuvam (Perak) as well as punggal )New Year Ferstival).
  2. Indigenous People in Sabah
    The indigenous people of Sabah also have many cultures and customs. For example, within the Kadazan-Dusun society, the funeral ceremony involves the entire members of the community. Fire is burnt in open air to chase away ghosts and evil spirits. There are also several other practices during the funeral as follows:
    1. Mihad : crying for the corpse
    2. Memojok : bathing the corpse
    3. Menguman : decorating & clothing the corpse
    4. Lobong : grave
    5. Penukup : feast

8.3   Religion, Beliefs, Culture and Customs of each community



There is also tradition of naming newborn babies in which discussion will be carried out with family members and neighbours. They have a custom of touching the babies' feet on the ground which is called "mintuhun".