Ang Pau (Red Packet)

Chinese New Year or Chinese Spring Festival is one of the most important cultural celebration among the Chinese in China or Oversea Chinese especially folks of Han origin. It is also called Lunar New Year owing to its origin whereby this festival begins on the first day of the first lunar year.

Unlike Gregorian calendar which is a cumulative number as time passed, in Chinese lunar calendar or sometimes interchange as Chinese Zodiac, twelve animals are used as symbols in their counting system and they are repeated after a cycle of 60 years. To make up for a complete 60-year rotation, the twelve animals years are also influenced by five elements of metal, wood, water, earth, fire and the concept of yin and yang.

From mythical perspective, Chinese New Year began with the fight against a wild fierced beast called 'Nian' (in Mandarin, 'Nian' also co-incidentally means 'Year') on the first day of lunar calendar. It was believed that 'Nian' would come and destroy livestock, crops and attack villagers especially children. In order to protect themselves, the villagers set up a plan; they placed all the red banners outside their houses, burnt firecrackers to make a loud noise and danced with lion heads. Believe it or not, these plan seemed worked and on the following year, this beast never turn up again.

Nowadays, Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is celebrated at varying degree depending on geographical region. In fact, the celebration of Chinese New Year lasted for 15 days from the 1st day of lunar calendar until the 15th day. In Malaysia whereby Chinese comprises about 30% of Malaysian population, it is observed as national public holidays on 1st and 2nd day of Chinese Lunar calendar. On the Chinese New Year eve, all the family members from far or near will usually be home for a reunion dinner and enjoy sumptuous meals together.

One of the tradition during Chinese New Year is wearing new clothes of red color. It was believed to scare away the evil sprits or bad fortunes. Giving red packet or red envelope ('Hong Bao' in Mandarin or 'Angpow' in Hokkien) to children is also widely practised whereby in these red packets, some cash notes are inserted. The common practice will avoid giving the cash amount in odd number. According to tales, the first red packet was given to a brave orphan boy by an elderly villager when he managed to defeat a dragon-like demon in recognition of this courage for saving the Chang Chieu villagers during Sung Dynasty. Since then, these envelopes are distributed by elderly or married couples as it symbolises courage, good luck and wealth in abundance.

This is an another example of Malaysia's extraordinary other than cultural exchange of the Malay wedding ceremony, which incorporates elements of the Hindu traditions of southern India; the bride and groom dress in gorgeous brocades, sit in state, and feed each other yellow rice with hands painted with henna. Muslims have adapted the Chinese custom of giving little red packets of money (ang pau) at festivals to their own needs; the packets given on Muslim holidays are green and have Arab writing on them.

Melaka Baba Nyonya

Distinctive Cultural Heritage

The origins of Baba Nyonya can be traced back to centuries ago when the Chinese emigrated from China to the British Straits Settlement of Melaka, Singapore, Penang and also Java of Indonesia. The Chinese then married the local females and their distinct background, cultures and customs blended together harmoniously and became baba nyonya in “Peranakan” culture.

“Peranakan” means descendent in Malay. It is another local term for them. “Baba” refers to the male while “nyonya” is female. Beside, they are also being known as “Straits-born Chinese”. This is a very unique culture in Melaka where the Chinese culture is assimilated into Malay customs. During the ancient time, they retained some practices of Chinese cultures but at the same time adapted local Malay traditions in order to minimize the culture shock.

Assimilated into Malay culture, they have several similarities with that culture in terms of dress, food and language. Nyonya is usually wearing sarung or baju kebaya similar to Malay. However, most of them are not Muslim even though they practice Malay traditions. They retained some Chinese customs especially in festival celebrations, marriage, names and ancestral worship.

Mentioning about nyonya food, one will be salivating and food like Kapitan chicken, buah keluak, duck sup, laksa and various mouth-watering sweet delicacies will come to the mind. Adapt both cultures in cooking; nyonya food is made up of pungent and strong-flavored spices from Malay and Chinese style in food preparing. Thus, you might probably find some cuisines similar to Malay food but contain pork.

They speak in a form of “assimilated language” consisting of Baba Malay, Malay Patoi and Hokkien dialect. Thus, you might be surprised by the way they speak in a mixture of Malay language, Hokkien dialect and probably some unfamiliar terms for you. It is said that their language is a blend of Chinese, Malay and Eurasian culture because European like Dutch was influential when they dominated Melaka last time. Their languages itself is amazing enough in telling you how one culture can assimilated into another and create another novel and unique culture.

Wayang kulit (Shadow Puppet)

Wayang Kulit
Wayang Kulit is a popular shadow puppet show in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, especially those in Kelantan and Terengganu, and also in Johor. The origin of the theatre is still remained a mistery, but it was brought to Malaya hundreds of years ago.Wayang Kulit is a very unique form of theatre employing the principle of light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, "The Mahabarata" and "The Ramayana". Some of the plays are also based on local happenings (current issues) or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or "Tok Dalang" to decide his direction.

The Tok Dalang is the genius behind the entire performance. It is he who sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a resonant melody and its conventional rhythm, the Tok Dalang modulates his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Invariably, the play climaxes with the triumph of good over evil.

Wayang is an Indonesian/Malay word for theatre. When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theater, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. ", the Javanese word for shadow or imagination, also connotes "spirit." Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali.

UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theater and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003.

Four varieties of shadow play are active in the Malay peninsula:

(a)Wayang Kulit Siam,
(b) Wayang Kulit Gedek,
(c) Wayang Kulit Purwa and
(d) Wayang Kulit Melayu.

Wayang Kulit Siam is the most indigenous of these styles. It is principally performed in the state of Kelantan on the east coast of the Malay peninsula. Wayang kulit siam makes use of a local version of the Indian epic, Ramayana. Existing only in the oral tradition, this version is known as Hikayat Maharaja Wana.

The Hikayat Seri Rama provides material for the principal story (cerita pokok). Local extensions of and accresions to the epic have resulted in the creation of a large number of Ramayana branch stories (cerita ranting). These have traditionally been more popular than the pokok story.

The wayang kulit siam orchestra consists of a pair of double- headed drums(gendang), a pair of single-headed goblet-shaped drums known as gedumbak, a pair or vertically standing drums (gedug) hit with beaters, a pair of hand small cymbals, (kesi) and a pair of inverted gongs canang), also beaten with sticks. and, finally, a pair of hanging knobbed gongs(tetawak).

Wayang kulit siam peformances are done in two varieties:

(a) those done purely for entertainment and
(b) those intended for ritual purposes such as the salutation of teachers (sembah guru).

Ritual performances,known as wayang kulit berjamu,are extremely rare.They incorporate a host of ritual acitivities as well as trance.

Silat Cekak with parang lading

Parang Lading is the official weapon of Silat Cekak Ustaz Hanafi, one of the main leading silat organisation in Malaysia. It was smithed according to specific measurements of the owner, thus making it a perfect combat companion. Any error on the smith's part could cause the weapon to 'makan tuan' or accidentally hurt its owner.

Famous Celebrities in Malaysia (Sharifah Mazlina)

Life’s background

Sharifah Mazlina is the first Asian woman to complete the Pole-to-Pole mission, left for Norway on April 3. In April 2004, she was the first Asian woman to reach the South Pole. Datin Paduka Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir was born on May 23rd 1965 in Malaysia. She received her Honors Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education from the University PUTRA in July 1990. As a student she actively took part in many games and sports events.

The idea of the expedition was brought about in the year 2003, when Mazlina decided to make a World Record by becoming the first Malaysian and the first Asian woman to step into the land of the Antarctic. When she first proposed an expedition to the Antarctic, her whole family had their doubts. She sat down and discussed the matter over with the members of her family and finally succeeded in getting their full support.

The Expedition

On December 9th 2004, Mazlina started her 1100 K.M. long solo expedition from the South Pole to Hercules. She had many obstacles like wind and chilling cold climate standing in her way to realize her dream - becoming the first Asian woman to trek in the Antarctic region. But her strong mental attitude kept her going on her arduous venture. On the 18th day of her journey, she was pushed and blown by the wind. She was dragged for about 40 to 50 meters through the treacherous landscape. She only came to a halt when the ski on her right foot was embedded at a 90-degree angle in the ice. After falling down, she relaxed for a while and setup a tent. She was badly injured and her knees were swollen. Undeterred by this series of unfortunate events, Mazlina continued on her trek.

Once settled in the tent, she called the organizers at the base camp and they asked her if she needed any medical assistance. She insisted that she didn't need any because she didn’t want her journey to be a supported trek. She was determined to make it on her own. On December 30, Mazlina reached her destination, Hercules Inlet, creating records for the fastest time of 22 days, beating an earlier record of 24 days. Mazlina became the first woman in the world to ski-sail in the Antarctic region.

Mazlina used the solo ski-sail trek across Antarctica as a opportunity to study her own mood variations. She used an analysis tool she had devised herself called MEPS to monitor her performance. MEPS stands for mental, emotional physical and social elements that motivate an individual and gauge one’s coping mechanisms. She explains, "When I was injured, I never allowed emotions to rule or have negative feelings."

She has been invited to become a member of an all-women team that plans an international expedition to Greenland in 2011. The condition to be a part of this team is that each member should have visited both the North and South poles. So, Mazlina plans to go to the North Pole between 2007 and 2008. Presently Mazlina is writing three books, two on her experiences in Antarctica and the third is a biography.

Famous Celebrities in Malaysia (Dr. Mahathir)

Life’s Background

Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad; born December 20, 1925 was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia. During his term in office, he was credited for engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization and promoting non-individualistic “Asian values“.

Mahathir is also known for his criticisms of western and developed countries. During his administration, he was considered as one of Asia's most influential leaders. Mahathir is also noted in the Western world as an outspoken critic of Western civilization.

Mahathir was born in Alor Star, the capital of the northern Malaysian state of Kedah, the youngest of nine children of a school teacher and a housewife. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was of half-Indian origin, being the son of a Malayalee Muslim (who migrated from Kerala) and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Wan Tampawan, was Malay.

Mahathir attended a Malay vernacular school before continuing his education at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star. Mahathir then attended the King Edward VII Medical College (the predecessor of present-day National University of Singapore) in Singapore, where he edited a medical student magazine called The Cauldron; he also contributed to the The Straits Times newspaper anonymously under the nickname "Che Det".

Mahathir was also President of the Muslim Society in the college. Upon graduation in 1953, Mahathir joined the then Malayan government service as a medical officer. He married Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali—a fellow doctor and former classmate in college—on 5 August 1956, and left government service in 1957 to set up his own private practice in Alor Star. Mahathir thrived in private practice, and allowed him to own by 1959 a Pontiac Catalina and employ an ethnic Chinese chauffeur (at the time, almost all chauffeurs in Malaysia were Malays, owing to the economic dominance of the ethnic Chinese). Some critics have suggested this foreshadowed a later hallmark of Mahathir's politics, which focused on the "cultivation of such emblems of power".

From his marriage with Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali, they have five children, three sons and two daughters. Both Mukhriz and Mokhzani Mahathir are involved in business as well as in politics while their eldest daughter Marina Mahathir is a prominent local writer and AIDS activist. He successfully underwent a heart bypass operation in 1989 at age 63.

Political career

In the third general election of 1964, Mahathir was elected Member of Parliament for Kota Setar Selatan defeating the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's (PAS) candidate with a 60.2% majority. He lost the seat in the following general election in 1969 by a mere 989 votes to PAS's candidate, Haji Yusoff Rawa. Following the race riots of 13 May 1969, Mahathir was sacked from the UMNO Supreme Council on 12 July, following his widespread distribution to the public of his letter to Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister at that time. In his letter, he had criticised the manner in which Tunku Abdul Rahman had handled the country's administration which was believed to favour the ethnic Chinese. Mahathir was subsequently relieved of his party membership on 26 September.

Mahathir rejoined UMNO on 7 March 1972, and was appointed as Senator in 1973. He relinquished the senatorship post in 1974 in order to contest in the general elections where he was returned unopposed in the constituency of Kubang Pasu, and was appointed as the Minister of Education.In 1975, he became one of the three vice-presidents of UMNO, after winning the seat by 47 votes. Tun Hussein Onn appointed Mahathir as Deputy Prime Minister on 15 September 1978, and in a Cabinet reshuffle, appointed him concurrently as the Minister of Trade and Industry. Mahathir had announced that he has resigned from UMNO, the backbone of the ruling party, the Barisan National on 19 May 2008 which coincides with the Wesak Day celebration.

Prime Minister

Mahathir became the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 16 July 1981 when Tun Hussein Onn stepped down due to health reasons. He was the nation's first Prime Minister that came from a modest social background, whereas the first three prime ministers were members of the royal or elite families. After 22 years in office, Mahathir retired on 31 October 2003, making him one of Asia's longest-serving political leaders. Upon his retirement on 31 October 2003, Mahathir was awarded a "Tun"-ship, Malaysia's highest civilian honour.

Famous Celebrities in Malaysia (Siti Nurhaliza)

Life's Story

Early childhood (1979 – 1995)

Siti Nurhaliza was born in Kampung Awah (Temerloh), Pahang on January 11, 1979. Siti is the fifth child in the family of eight siblings. She comes from a musically inclined family. Her grandfather was a famous violinist, and her mother was a famous local traditional singer. From the age of 5, she followed her uncle to invitational shows like wedding ceremonies and dinner parties to give her exposure performing live, where she was well received by the local community. During her childhood she was involved in various school activities, including sports and class speeches.

Siti Nurhaliza attended pre-school at the Sekolah Tabika Perkep, Balai Polis Kampung Awah, Temerloh. Here she showed her early singing talent at the age of six when she sang "Sirih Pinang", a Malay traditional song, at her kindergarten's end of year event. She attended primary school at Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Clifford and followed up her secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Clifford, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. She was an athlete in school and this showed when at the opening ceremony of the Fiesta Media Idola 2006 in Kuantan she was a torch bearer to light the games of the Fiesta, together with actress Fasha Sanda. Siti had also won a singing contest when she was twelve years old. She sang the patriotic song "Bahtera Merdeka" at a Kuala Lipis Carnival in conjunction with the "Nyanyian Bulan Kemerdekaan" (Independence Month Singing Contest).

Early commercial success (1995 – 1996)

Siti Nurhaliza's family performed at many local ceremonies in their hometown, such as weddings. At the age of twelve, Siti began to learn traditional songs from her mother and went on performing that genre of music during special occasions and events. Later, as she continued to work on her singing, she participated in numerous local singing competitions. At 16, she competed in the 1995 RTM Juara Bintang competition. While there, she met Adnan Abu Hassan, a famous Malaysian music composer. He tutored her and helped her with her vocal performance, and ultimately she won the contest. She was granted a contract with Suria Records and in 1996 released her first self-titled album, Siti Nurhaliza. Completing her first album was a challenge because she had to balance working on the album with her preparations for the SPM examination. Despite this, her first album was a great success, and paved the way for successful subsequent albums.

Career development (1996 – 2006)

After the release of her first album, Siti became a well-known figure in Malay pop culture. She continued to have numerous hits, her songs spanning a broad range of genres, such as pop, R&B, and traditional Malay. Her voice and lyrics proved to be popular among teenagers as well as adults throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. Siti was the first non-Chinese artiste to be invited to perform at the 15th Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan in 2004.[1] Apart from performing solo, she also sang a duet with Lee-Hom Wang in a song called 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart).

Throughout her career, Siti Nurhaliza's songs have been covered by other artistes, including the famous song Cindai which was re-recorded in Chinese version by Chien Bai Hui. Also, her first hit song, Aku Cinta Padamu was covered by North, an Australian boy band. Siti held a successful solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in April 1, 2005, although the majority of the audience were Malaysians living in the United Kingdom and Malaysians who had travelled just to see the concert. British press called her 'Asia's Celine Dion' due to her powerful vocal and outstanding performances. To date, she has the most number one singles than any other artists in Malaysia.