History, Language & Culture Malaysia

 Malaysia’s history is said to have started from the Sultanate of Malacca which was around 1400 AD. At the time of its glory, the Sultanate Territories covered most of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Malacca emerged as a glorious Government. Islam was the main religion which emerged and became the main religion of the residents because the Ruler himself had professed the religion.

In 1511, Malacca fell into the hands of the Portuguese and that was the beginning of the colonial era in Malaya. After that, Malaya fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641 and British in 1824 through the Anglo–Dutch Treaty.

During the 1920s and 1930s, many residents of Malaya had started to receive education, either from the Middle East or local education. As a result, this educated group had appeared to fight in the name of nationalism.

On 1st April 1946, The British established the Malayan Union.

The unity between the three major ethnic groups namely Malays, Chinese and Indians led to the London Agreement that was signed on 8 February 1956 and had given signs that Malaya will achieve independence on 31 August 1957. Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-haj has made a declaration independence of Malaya in Padang Bandar Hilir, Melaka on 20 February 1956. On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj has suggested the merger of five colonies namely the Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei to form a new country.

The desire for forming a state called MALAYSIA is achieved on 16 September 1963.

The Malaysian language or Malaysian Malay is the name regularly applied to the Malay language used in Malaysia (as opposed to the variety used in Indonesia, which is referred to as the Indonesian language). The official language of Malaysia is Malay, but the government from time to time refers to it as Malaysian. Standard Malaysian is a standard form of the Johore-Riau dialect of Malay. It is spoken by much of the Malaysian population, although most learn a vernacular form of Malay or other native language first. Malay is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools.

One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals and events. The year is filled with colorful, exhilarating and exciting activities. Some are religious and solemn but others are vibrant, joyous events. One interesting feature of the main festivals in Malaysia is the 'open house' custom. This is when Malaysians celebrating the festival invite friends and family to come by their homes for some traditional delicacies and fellowship.

Multicultural Malaysia celebrates a vast range of festivals, but the ones to look out for nationwide are Islamic holidays, most notably the fasting month of Ramadan. During its 29 or 30 days, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset. Not all Muslims follow the tradition, or sustain the full period or Ramadan fasting, but most do make a very serious effort.