Populated by a blend of Malays, Chinese, Indians and indigenous
groups, Malaysia boasts a rich cultural heritage, from a huge variety of
annual festivals and wonderful cuisines, to traditional architecture
and rural crafts. There’s astonishing natural beauty to take in too,
including gorgeous beaches and some of the world’s oldest tropical
rainforest, much of which is surprisingly accessible. Malaysia’s
national parks are superb for trekking and wildlife-watching, and
sometimes for cave exploration and river rafting.
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| Blend of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Sikh holding Malaysia flag Image credit : www.inmagine.com |
As part of the Malay archipelago, which stretches from Indonesia to
the Philippines, Malaysia became an important port of call on the trade
route between India and China, the two great markets of the early world,
and later became important entrepôts for the Portuguese, Dutch and
British empires. Malaysia has only existed in its present form since
1963, when the federation of the eleven Peninsula states was joined by
Singapore and the two Bornean territories of Sarawak and Sabah.
Singapore left the union to become an independent country in 1965.
Today, the dominant cultural force in the country is undoubtedly Islam,
adopted by the Malays in the fourteenth century. But it’s the religious
plurality – there are also sizeable Christian and Hindu minorities –
that is so attractive, often providing surprising juxtapositions of
mosques, temples and churches. Add the colour and verve of Chinese
temples and street fairs, Indian festival days and everyday life in
Malay kampungs (villages), and the indigenous traditions of Borneo, and
it’s easy to see why visitors are drawn into this celebration of ethnic
diversity; indeed, despite some issues, Malaysia has something to teach
the rest of the world when it comes to building successful multicultural
societies.
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| KLCC - Kuala Lumpur City Center at night Image credit : www.asia-trip.info |
