Festivalsin Malaysia 2026
Here are several main festivalsin Malaysia and how they are celebrated here.
Click on each box to learn more about them:
Chinese New Year
Feb 17
Thaipusam
Feb 1
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
March 21*
Pesta Kaamatan
May 30 - 31
Hari Gawai
June 1 - 2
Deepavali
Nov 8*
Christmas
Dec 25
*Subject to confirmation
Sources: Tourism Malaysia, Sabah State Library website, UPM School of Graduate Studies
Thaipusam
Thaipusam is a festival celebrated by Hindus, especially the Tamil community, when the pusyam star shines brightest during the Tamil month of Thai. This religious festival is dedicated to Hindu god Lord Murugan. Thaipusam symbolises victory, courage and penance. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Murugan used the vel (a divine spear) to defeat the demon Surapadman. On this day, devotees can be seen carrying the kavadi (a ceremonial burden carried over the shoulder of devotees) and paal kudam (milk pots) to fulfil a vow, to seek blessings or ask for forgiveness.
Read more: MULTIMEDIA: Drumbeats Under The Full Moon
Pesta Kaamatan
Pesta Kaamatan is a harvest festival celebrated in the state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan in Borneo. It is celebrated by the Kadazan-Dusun community, as well as other related ethnic groups in the state. The festival is a time to give thanks for the bountiful harvest and for people to get together, feast and renew communal relationships. Representatives from each district come out in numbers while donning traditional costumes, showcasing Sabah’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. One of the highlights of the festival is a beauty pageant called Unduk Ngadau.
Read more: Kaamatan shines with music, colour and unity
Deepavali
Deepavali is a festival that celebrates the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil. It is one of the most significant celebrations for Malaysian Hindus as a time for joyful celebrations, cultural rites and community gatherings. Home decorations include kolam designs (colourful patterns on the floor formed using dyed rice), oil lamps and multicolored lights. Festivities begin early in the morning with an oil bath to purify the body and spirit. Delicious treats are enjoyed like murukku (a crispy and savoury snack) and sweet ghee balls known as kal urundai.
Read more: Deepavali celebration with great taste
Christmas
Christmas in Malaysia is a festive occasion, celebrated by Christians nationwide to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is customary for Malaysian Christians to attend church prayers and celebrate by having family and social gatherings where loved ones feast together and exchange presents. Shopping malls will be decked out in stunning and brilliant Christmas lights and decorations, which is a sight to behold - many people take the opportunity to snap photographs to soak in the vibrant display and atmosphere.
Read more: Ho ho ho 'tis the season again
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Hari Raya Aidilfitri marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with celebrations deeply rooted in tradition. Many go back to their hometowns, or balik kampung in Malay, to celebrate the occasion with their family members. It is customary to wear new traditional attire, such as the baju Melayu for men and baju kurung or baju kebaya for women. Traditional dishes eaten during this period include ketupat (rice cake wrapped in woven leaves), usually served with rendang (spicy meat stew) and other delicacies.
Read more: MULTIMEDIA: Hari Raya traditions, then and now
Hari Gawai
Hari Gawai is the annual harvest festival celebrated by Sarawak's Dayak communities including the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. It celebrates the end of the rice harvesting season. The festival is also to give thanks before the new farming season begins. For the Dayak community, Gawai is seen as a time to make amends for past differences and rekindle old friendships or form new ones. Among the various traditional delicacies enjoyed during the festival is penganan (cakes made from rice flour, sugar and coconut milk). On Gawai eve, glutinous rice is roasted in bamboo.
Read more: Hari Gawai
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is celebrated to mark the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends 15 days later on the first full moon. During the eve of the festival, families gather for a reunion meal. In Malaysia and other neighbouring countries, it is common for people to toss the yee sang, a colourful fish salad where ingredients are tossed high with chopsticks as auspicious wishes are called out for good fortune and prosperity. Each year honours a different animal on the Chinese zodiac, with this year being the snake and next year, the horse.
Read more: INTERACTIVE: Year of the Snake 2025
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Festivalsin Malaysia 2026
Here are several main festivalsin Malaysia and how they are celebrated here.
Click on each box to learn more about them:
Chinese New Year
Feb 17
Thaipusam
Feb 1
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
March 21*
Pesta Kaamatan
May 30 - 31
Hari Gawai
June 1 - 2
Deepavali
Nov 8*
Christmas
Dec 25
*Subject to confirmation Sources: Tourism Malaysia, Sabah State Library website, UPM School of Graduate Studies
Thaipusam
Thaipusam is a festival celebrated by Hindus, especially the Tamil community, when the pusyam star shines brightest during the Tamil month of Thai. This religious festival is dedicated to Hindu god Lord Murugan. Thaipusam symbolises victory, courage and penance. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Murugan used the vel (a divine spear) to defeat the demon Surapadman. On this day, devotees can be seen carrying the kavadi (a ceremonial burden carried over the shoulder of devotees) and paal kudam (milk pots) to fulfil a vow, to seek blessings or ask for forgiveness.
Read more: MULTIMEDIA: Drumbeats Under The Full Moon
Pesta Kaamatan
Pesta Kaamatan is a harvest festival celebrated in the state of Sabah and the federal territory of Labuan in Borneo. It is celebrated by the Kadazan-Dusun community, as well as other related ethnic groups in the state. The festival is a time to give thanks for the bountiful harvest and for people to get together, feast and renew communal relationships. Representatives from each district come out in numbers while donning traditional costumes, showcasing Sabah’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. One of the highlights of the festival is a beauty pageant called Unduk Ngadau.
Read more: Kaamatan shines with music, colour and unity
Deepavali
Deepavali is a festival that celebrates the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil. It is one of the most significant celebrations for Malaysian Hindus as a time for joyful celebrations, cultural rites and community gatherings. Home decorations include kolam designs (colourful patterns on the floor formed using dyed rice), oil lamps and multicolored lights. Festivities begin early in the morning with an oil bath to purify the body and spirit. Delicious treats are enjoyed like murukku (a crispy and savoury snack) and sweet ghee balls known as kal urundai.
Read more: Deepavali celebration with great taste
Christmas
Christmas in Malaysia is a festive occasion, celebrated by Christians nationwide to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is customary for Malaysian Christians to attend church prayers and celebrate by having family and social gatherings where loved ones feast together and exchange presents. Shopping malls will be decked out in stunning and brilliant Christmas lights and decorations, which is a sight to behold - many people take the opportunity to snap photographs to soak in the vibrant display and atmosphere.
Read more: Ho ho ho 'tis the season again
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Hari Raya Aidilfitri marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with celebrations deeply rooted in tradition. Many go back to their hometowns, or balik kampung in Malay, to celebrate the occasion with their family members. It is customary to wear new traditional attire, such as the baju Melayu for men and baju kurung or baju kebaya for women. Traditional dishes eaten during this period include ketupat (rice cake wrapped in woven leaves), usually served with rendang (spicy meat stew) and other delicacies.
Read more: MULTIMEDIA: Hari Raya traditions, then and now
Hari Gawai
Hari Gawai is the annual harvest festival celebrated by Sarawak's Dayak communities including the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. It celebrates the end of the rice harvesting season. The festival is also to give thanks before the new farming season begins. For the Dayak community, Gawai is seen as a time to make amends for past differences and rekindle old friendships or form new ones. Among the various traditional delicacies enjoyed during the festival is penganan (cakes made from rice flour, sugar and coconut milk). On Gawai eve, glutinous rice is roasted in bamboo.
Read more: Hari Gawai
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is celebrated to mark the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends 15 days later on the first full moon. During the eve of the festival, families gather for a reunion meal. In Malaysia and other neighbouring countries, it is common for people to toss the yee sang, a colourful fish salad where ingredients are tossed high with chopsticks as auspicious wishes are called out for good fortune and prosperity. Each year honours a different animal on the Chinese zodiac, with this year being the snake and next year, the horse.
Read more: INTERACTIVE: Year of the Snake 2025