Good Time to Visit

Weather

Malaysia has a tropical climate, where days are warm and nights are fairly cool. Average daytime temperatures in Kuala Lumpur are around 27°C (82°F) year round. The main rainy season in the east is between November and February, whilst August is the wettest period on the west coast.

Visitors are advised to bring lightweight clothing; rainwear is also advisable.

Festivals

Malaysian festivals are often colourful occasions with a religious or national significance. Hari Kebangsaan, or National Day, sees a large celebration in Kuala Lumpur on 31 August, with a parade of impressive floats and much partying.

Muslims in Malaysia celebrate a number of religious holidays. The most celebrated festival, Hari Raya Puasa (also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri) marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Haji (also called Hari Raya Aidiladha, Feast of the Sacrifice), Awal Muharram (Islamic New Year) and Maulidul Rasul (also called Mawlid al-Nabi, Birth of the Prophet).

The majority of Indians in Malaysia are Hindus and they celebrate Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of light in October/November, while Thaipusam is a celebration which pilgrims from all over the country flock to Batu Caves.

The Chinese in Malaysia typically celebrate festivals that are observed by Chinese around the world. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated among the festivals which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to traditional Chinese festivals, Buddhists Chinese also celebrate Wesak (Birth of Buddha) in May/June.

Despite the fact that most of the festivals are identified with a particular ethnic or religion, all Malaysians celebrate the festivities together regardless of their religions and ethnic background. For the years when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincided, a slogan Kongsi Raya, a combination of Gong Xi Fa Cai, a greeting used on the Chinese New Year, and Hari Raya (which could also mean 'celebrating together' in Malay language) was coined. The slogan Deepa Raya was similarly coined for the years Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincide.

Public Holidays

The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Malaysia: