The Most Important Holidays In Malaysia In 2023

Malaysia Official Holidays 2023 are mostly observed by private and governmental organizations. However, the most common holiday observed in Malaysia is the National Day. It is also observed as Independence Day on the thirty-first day of August, which commemorates the independence of Malaysia. Besides, first day of May 2023 is observed as Labour day, and the Malaysian King’s birthday will be observed on the first Saturday of June 2023.

Through Malaysia Public Holidays Calendar 2023, many other festivals are observed and they fall under major national public holidays. It should also be noted that the main 2023 Malaysia Holidays of each major religion are considered as public holidays. They are observed on the western calendar of Malaysia, and are religious ones.

Malaysia Public Holidays 2023

Some of The Most Important Public Holidays in Malaysia In 2023

March equinox

Photo: Time And Date

The March equinox or northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the Southern Hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. The March equinox is known as the vernal equinox (spring equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and as the autumnal equinox in the Southern.

On the Gregorian calendar, the northward equinox can occur as early as 19 March or as late as 21 March at Greenwich. For a common year the computed time slippage is about 5 hours 49 minutes later than the previous year, and for a leap year about 18 hours 11 minutes earlier than the previous year. Balancing the increases of the common years against the losses of the leap years keeps the calendar date of the March equinox from drifting more than one day from 20 March each year.

The March equinox may be taken to mark the beginning of astronomical spring and the end of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere but marks the beginning of astronomical autumn and the end of astronomical summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

In astronomy, the March equinox is the zero point of sidereal time and, consequently, right ascension. It also serves as a reference for calendars and celebrations in many human cultures and religions.

Muharram

Photo: Pngtree

Muḥarram (Arabic: ٱلْمُحَرَّم‎) is the first month of the Islamic calendar.

It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Better known as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims mourn the tragedy of Imam Hussein's family, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and his family, honoring the martyrs by prayer and abstinence from joyous events. Shia Muslims eat as little as possible on the 10th of Muharram however this is not seen as fasting. Some (children, elderly or sick) don't eat or drink until Zawal (afternoon) as a part of their mourning for Husayn. In addition there is an important ziyarat book, the Ziyarat Ashura about Husayn ibn Ali. In the Shia sect, it is popular to read this ziyarat on this date.

Gawai Dayak

Photo: Flickr

Gawai Dayak is an annual festival celebrated by the Dayak people in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia on 1 and 2 June. It is a public holiday in Sarawak and is both a religious and a social occasion recognised since 1957.

Gawai Dayak was the concept of the radio producers Tan Kingsley and Owen Liang taken up by the Dayak community. The British colonial government refused to recognise Dayak Day until 1962. They called it Sarawak Day for the inclusion of all Sarawakians as a national day, regardless of ethnic origin.

On 1 June 1963, Datuk Michael Buma, a Betong native, hosted the celebrations of the first Gawai Dayak at his home at Siol Kandis, Kuching. On 25 September 1964, Sarawak Day was gazetted as a public holiday acknowledging the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The holiday was first celebrated on 1 June 1965 and it became a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for the Dayak community. It is an integral part of Dayak social life. It is a thanksgiving day marking a bountiful harvest and a time to plan for the new farming season or other endeavours ahead.

Sarawak Independence Day

Photo: New Straits Time

Sarawak Independence Day (also known as Hari Kemerdekaan Sarawak, Hari Sarawak or Sarawak Day) is a holiday observed on 22 July every year by the state of Sarawak in Malaysia, celebrating the establishment of self-government and de facto independence on 22 July 1963.

The official Sarawak Independence Day public holiday was gazetted by the government of Sarawak in 2016 to raise awareness about Sarawak's past and contributions of its past leaders. Despite this official name, there are those who still avoided using this title, due to lack of awareness of its legality (it is, in fact, officially gazetted),[8] while some still argue about its historical accuracy, citing British legislation did not provide for an official, full independence. Nonetheless, there was indeed a degree of de facto independence in the form of self-government ahead of it taking part in the founding of a new federation in the form of Malaysia with other partners.

The idea of a Sarawakian holiday was mooted by the Sarawak state government and citizens since 2012, after public discontent about the public holiday Hari Merdeka being too Malaya-centric.The day was officially named Sarawak Independence Day and declared as a public holiday for the first time in 2016. Although there have been persistent attempts to falsify the historical record for political purposes, it is incontrovertible that Sarawak as a British crown colony achieved independence on 16 September 1963 as a member state of the Malaysian Federation under the Malaysia legislation passed by the sovereign United Kingdom and Malayan Parliaments in July 1963.

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