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MALAYSIA
Opening
Hours & Festivals
Government offices in Brunei open Mon-Thurs & Sat 7.45am-12.15pm
& 1.30-Shops are open daily 9am-7pm and shopping centres 10am-11pm.
Government offices work Mon-Thurs 8am-12.45pm & 2-4.15pm, Fri
8am-12.15pm & 2.45-4.15pm, Sat 8am-12.45pm; however, in the
states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengannu, on Thursday the hours
are 8am-12.45pm, they're closed on Friday and open on Sunday.
Banking hours are generally Mon-Fri 10am-3pm and Sat 9.30-11.30am.
Post offices are open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm. During major holiday periods
it can be difficult to get a seat on public transport or a room
in a hotel, particularly over Ramadan and during Chinese New Year.
Festival
Three great religions - Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism - are represented
in Malaysia, and they play a vital role in the everyday lives of
the population. Some religious festivals are celebrated at home
or in the mosque or temple. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during
the daytime for a whole month, but others are marked with great
spectacle. Most of the festivals have no fixed dates, but change
annually according to the lunar calendar.
Festivals of interest to tourists include: Chinese New Year , when
Chinese operas and lion and dragon dance troupes perform in the
streets (Jan-Feb); Thaipusam , during which entranced Hindu penitents
carry elaborate steel arches, attached to their skin by hooks and
skewers (especially at KL's Batu Caves; Jan/Feb); Gawai Dayak ,
when Sarawak's Iban and Bidayuk people hold extravagant feasts to
mark the end of the harvest, best experienced at the Iban longhouses
on the Ai, Skrang and Lemanak rivers near Kuching (June) and in
Bidayuh communities around Bau; the Dragon Boat Festival in Penang,
Melaka and Kota Kinabalu (June/July); the Festival of the Hungry
Ghosts , Yue Lan, when there are many free performances of Chinese
opera and wayang, or puppet shows (late Aug); Navarathiri , when
Hindu temples devote nine nights to classical dance and music in
honour of the deities (Sept-Oct); and the Kota Belud Tamu Besar
, Sabah's biggest annual market, which features cultural performances
(Oct/Nov). |
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