Festivals

The great thing about having so many ethnic groups and religions in a nation is that many festivals are celebrated annually. Here are the rundowns of major festivals celebrated by Malaysians. Mark your calendar! 1 January - New Year's Day (Not celebrated widely by every states. I had my university final exams on 1st January last year in Johor.)
January or February - Thaipusam. Biggest festival for Hindus after Deepavali. Day of thanksgiving and paying penance for Lord Murugan. Be in Penang to catch a glimpse of the traditional parade. Thaipusam Parade in Penang is considered the largest-scale in the nation and attracted thousands of visitors every year.
January or February - Chinese New Year. Biggest festival for Chinese in Malaysia nationwide. Fireworks lighting up the sky almost every day from Day 1 to Day 15 in Chinese Calendar.
May - Wesak Day. Sometimes referred to Buddha's Birthday, celebrated by Buddhists worldwide. Thought a lot of nations celebrate the day at different date, Wesak Day in Malaysia tends to fall in May. Watch the parade in Penang or Kuala Lumpur if you're interested in cultural parades involving thousands of devotees.
June (varies every few years)- Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Muslims from every corner of the world celebrate this big day, marking the end of the Ramadan holy month of fasting. During the holy month, Muslims have to fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food, drinks and sexual relations. Since Malaysia is a Muslim country, this festival is celebrated nationwide, probably the largest one in Malaysia. Hari Raya Aidilfitri is considered a merry celebration as it marks a person's triumph and success on discipline and self-resistance.
August (varies every few years) - Hari Raya Haji. In tradition, Muslims who are financially and physically affordable are required to visit holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia at least once in their lifetime for the haj pilgrimage. Title of "haji" will be given to men and "hajjah" to women. Hari Raya Haji is celebrated to mark the end of the pilgrimage.
31 August - National Day of Malaysia. Malaysia obtained independence in 31 August 1957. Since then, Hari Merdeka is celebrated every year to mark the majestic event. In the morning, National Day Parade will kick off at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. The parade will be showed live in several television channels, marking how important the day is to Malaysia.
September - Mid Autumn Festival, one of the largest festivals in China, celebrated by most of Chinese in Malaysia as well. During that day, the full moon is said to be the largest and brightest compared to other months. The celebration is accompanied by moon cakes, lanterns and gathering of family members.
November (varies every few years) - Deepavali, one of the most important festivals of the years for Hindus. This festival is celebrated by performing traditional customs at home. Like other major festivals, family members will go back to their hometown for a grand gathering.
25 December - Christmas Day. Although Christianity is a minor religion in Malaysia, Christmas is celebrated merrily all over the major cities, like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru. All shopping malls will be well-decorated based on Christmas theme to welcome the day. (And the decorations are sometimes not removed for months in smaller rural shopping malls)