Christmas can be celebrated modestly and affordably in countless ways. While some may take the opportunity to spend time at home with family, relatives and friends, others prefer getaways to places of interest. At home, revelers may enjoy the company of grazing cattle, sheep, horses and other reared animals as they settle for organized fun activities and games.

Beautiful and affordable places to visit exist virtually in every corner of the globe. Personal preference and climate are the main factors that affect choice of places to go. Some people prefer quiet celebrations while others have a liking for Christmas celebrations buzzing with a myriad of activities.

If Christmas has to be white, then it could be spent on white sand beaches or on snow filled areas. A beautiful beach presents an opportunity to spend the festive season relaxing in the sun, surfing or engaging in water sporting activities.

Individuals can spend time taking it easy walking on white silica sand, swimming in crystal-clear waters or taking a ride on a yacht to watch dolphins, whales and other marine animals. Granite walls, islands, huge boulders, eddying waters and coastal trees provide beautiful scenery for a quiet celebration.

Celebrating Christmas in the wilderness is another grand idea. National parks, game reserves, zoos and bird sanctuaries present great opportunities to have close encounters with diverse animals. Wild parks are also rich in plants that produce beautiful flowers and scenes. Tours can be made during the day or at night to see life in the wilderness as it is.

Modern settings such as restaurants and hotels provide luxurious services for holidaymakers. Celebrations in most hotels, resorts and restaurants are quite lively with great entertainment. Entertainment menus are varied and mostly include discos, videos shows, and live shows. Swimming is also a good option for people who wish to go the cold or warm way. Special meals comprising a number of courses are often provided during Christmas seasons at affordable rates.

To escape the crowds, heat and noise of modern life, one could opt for underground adventures in mining towns. Beautiful cliffs, water pools, and underground surfaces are common in such areas.

Dugout homes and underground motels are conducive for recreation and meditation and give an unforgettable experience. The White Cliffs in NSW Australia is a favorite centre for people who want the underground resort experience.

Man has a way of preserving history for future generations through galleries and museums. Museums are stocked with large collections of materials that portray a people's culture as it was several years in the past.

Those who are interested in history and pre-history, culture, animals, arts, crafts have the pleasure of celebrating Christmas in traditional museum settings that are quite rear in everyday life.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Date in 2009 : 20 Sept (Sunday) & 21 Sept (Monday)

Hari Raya Puasa is a day to celebrate the fasting month. It's also known in the Muslim term as Eid ul-Fitr. It is a time for family members and friends to gather around, reconcile and strengthen the relationship among each other. In Malaysia, the non-Muslims are often invited to join in the celebration by visiting their Muslim friends for a feast in their homes.

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Chinese New Year

Date in 2009 : 26 Jan (Monday) & 27 Jan (Tuesday)

Chinese New Year or also known as Lunar New Year is the most important celebration for the Chinese people across the globe. The celebration begins on the first day of the first Lunar month and ends on the 15th day of the same month.

It is said that long time ago, there was a mythical beast called "Nian" (in Chinese) which came to the city on the first day of every year in order to devour livestock, villagers and kids. One day, the creature was scared away upon seeing a kid in red dress. Since then the villagers decided to use a lot of red things and even used fireworks to scare away the creature. That's why you can expect to see a lot of red color and fireworks during the Chinese New Year celebration.

During this festival, there will be plenty of food, family gathering, mandarin oranges, red packets (a sign of good luck and best wishes), etc.

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Deepavali

Date in 2009 : 17 October (Saturday)

Deepavali or Diwali is a major Hindu festival. It is also known as the "Festivals of Lights" where people light up small lamps in order to signify victory over the evil within an individual. On the Hindu calendar, this festival falls on the new moon day which ends the month of Asvina and begins the month of Kartika. The celebration is said to last for 5 days.

During this festival, you can expect to see a lot of lights, flowers, fireworks, sweets and worships.

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Gawai Dayak

Date in 2009 : 1 June (Monday)- 2 June (Tuesday)

This Dayak Festival is celebrated by the Dayak (collective name of the native ethnic groups of Sarawak such as Iban, Kayan, Bidayuh, Kelabit, etc) people of Sarawak state on the 1st day of June every year. It is a time for friends and family members to visit each other. The entire festival lasts for several days.

Expect to see a lot of food such as the famous glutinous rice (steamed in bamboo), rice wine (tuak), cock fighting and blowpipe competitions.

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Mid-autumn Festival

Date in 2009 : 3 October (Saturday)

Also known as Mooncake festival and Lantern festival (Zhongqiu Jie), this is a very popular festival among the Chinese people (second to Chinese New Year). It is held in the 15th day of the 8th Lunar month. The famous food during this festival is none other than the mooncakes. Family members will gather around during this day to enjoy the mooncake, tea, pameloes and the bright mid-autumn moon.

Expect to see a lot of colorful lanterns, candles, mooncakes and pameloes.

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Thaipusam

Date in 2009 : 8 Feb (Sunday)

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the Tamil community. It commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan and the occasion when Parvati gave Lord Murugan a lance so that the former could vanquish the demon Soorapadman. In Malaysia, this festival takes place in several locations but most notably in Batu Caves (near to Kuala Lumpur). Every year, millions of devotees and thousands of tourists will gather in this place to witness the celebration which includes the famous 8 hours procession.

Expect to see a very grand procession which involves hundreds and thousands of people which starts from the heart of Kuala Lumpur and going up the 272 steps to the top of Batu Caves.

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Wesak

Date in 2009 : 9 May (Saturday)

A celebration observed by Buddhists in many countries including Malaysia. It is sometimes called "Buddha's birthday". On the day itself, devotees are encouraged to assemble in their respective temples. Activities such as the hoisting of the Buddhist flag, offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks, etc will be carried out. Devotees are also encouraged to make a special effort not to take any life and to take vegetarian food during this day.

Expect to see colorful processions and decorations, and plenty of devotees in temples.

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Christmas

Date in 2009 : 25 December (Friday)

Christmas Day is an annual holiday which marks and honors the death of Jesus of Nazareth. During this day, family and friends will gather to celebrate and to participate in the gift-giving activities. There will also be plenty of decorations set up by shopping complexes especially in Kuala Lumpur area. If you're in Malacca (Melaka) state, be sure to check out the Portuguese Settlement where they have an annual celebration of lights and food.

Expect to see a lot of sales, beautiful Christmas trees, Santa Claus, gifts and cookies.

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There are other festivals in Malaysia such as Hari Raya Haji, Harvest Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival, and others. It'll be too long for me to put in everything inside here. Just remember to check the calendar the next time you are planning a visit to Malaysia. Who knows, maybe you will get the chance to participate in the many festivals that Malaysia has.

All photos are taken from Flickr and the descriptions are from various sources on the Internet including Wiki.

All dates are using 2009 calendar. Certain dates may change depending on certain condition (such as Hari Raya).

Sabah natives wear their traditional costumes, ladies deck themselves with beads, colourful bangles and headgears while men wear flamboyant feathers and animal skin during the celebration.

The festival which usually stretches from dawn to dawn include the thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest to the spirit of paddy-Bambaazon, the Magavau ceremony performed by the merry-making feast and the Uduk Ngadau – the crowning of the Harvest Festival Queen. The fiesta also includes cultural performances, buffalo racing, drinking of tapai (rice wine) and the dancing Sumazau.

 Visit Sabah, ‘The Land Below the Wind’, and join in the celebration. Tadau Kaamatan national level ‘open house’ will be held on 18 Ma7, in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Visit Malaysia Year, also known as Visit Malaysia, is an event in Malaysia officially declared on New Year's Day with pomp and splendor amid a spectacular fireworks display and a colorful concert showcasing the diversity of the nation. The declaration was made by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the historical Dataran Merdeka before some 100,000 Malaysians from all walks of life just before the stroke of midnight.

Visit Malaysia Year 2007 is expected to increase the number of tourist arrivals to the country from the current 15 million to 20 million in 2007. The country targets to attract some 17.3 million tourists this year. The third edition of Visit Malaysia Year is in 2007, after 1990 and 1994, is considered special because it coincides with Malaysia's 50th year of independence and nationhood. Come visit Malaysia this year, we have many festival and events through out all nationwide as listed.

January

• Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 Grand Launch 1 January 2007
• Visit Malaysia Campaign 1 January 2007 Until 31 December 2007
• Eye on Malaysia 1 January 2007 Until 31 December 2007
• Flora Fest 20 January 2007 Until 4 February 2007

February

• Thaipusam Festival 1 February 2007
• Federal Territory Day 1 February 2007
• Le Tour de Langkawi 2 February 2007 Until 11 February 2007
• Malaysia Open Golf Championship 8 February 2007 Until 11 February 2007
• Chinese New Year Celebration and Open House 18 February 2007

March

• Malaysia GP Sale 2007 24 March 2007 Until 22 April 2007
• Taman Negara Eco-Challenge 24 March 2007 Until 25 March 2007

April

• KL GP City Festival 1 April 2007 Until 8 April 2007
• Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix 6 April 2007 Until 8 April 2007
• Royal Go-Kart Competition 10 April 2007

May

• Wesak Day 1 May 2007
• National Water Festival - Labuan International Sea Challenge 1 May 2007 Until 6 May 2007
• Johor International Orchid Show 25 May 2007 Until 27 May 2007
• World Harvest Festival 2007 & Gawai Dayak Sarawak 26 May 2007 Until 2 June 2007
• Colours of Malaysia 26 May 2007
• Tadau Keamatan 30 May 2007 Until 31 May 2007

June

• Malaysia International Aerospace Exhibition 5 June 2007 Until 7 August 2007
• Penang International Dragon Boat Festival 8 June 2007 Until 10 June 2007
• Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 16 June 2007 Until 2 September 2007
• Japan GT 22 June 2007 Until 24 June 2007
• Fiesta San Pedro 23 June 2007 Until 29 June 2007
• Penang Bridge International Marathon 24 June 2007

July

• Ipoh Open International Run 1 July 2007
• Rainforest World Music Festival 2007 13 July 2007 Until 15 July 2007
• World Music Festival 2007 - Botanical Garden, Penang 20 July 2007 Until 22 July 2007
• Port Dickson International Triathlon 21 July 2007 Until 22 July 2007
• KL Fest 29 July 2007

August

• Sultan's Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge 3 August 2007 Until 4 August 2007
• 50 Years of Nationhood - World Lion Dance Invitation 3 August 2007 Until 5 August 2007
• Malaysia International Fireworks Competition 15 August 2007 Until 30 August 2007
• Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon 25 August 2007 Until 26 August 2007
• 50 Years of Nationhood - Merdeka Month Celebration 17 August 2007 Until 16 September 2007

September

• Sarawak Regatta 1 September 2007 Until 2 September 2007
• Malaysian Motorcycle Cub Prix 7 September 2007 Until 9 September 2007
• KL International Butt Show 7 September 2007 Until 9 September 2007
• Penang International Lantern Festival 15 September 2007 Until 14 October 2007

October

• Hari Raya Aidilfitri Celebration and Open House 13 October 2007
• Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 27 October 2007 Until 31 October 2007
• Heart of Borneo 4X4 Safari 28 October 2007 Until 4 November 2007

November

• Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2 November 2007 Until 29 November 2007
• World Drumstick Festival 3 November 2007 Until 10 November 2007
• Deepavali Celebration and Open House 17 November 2007
• Malaysia A1 Grand Prix (Grand Prix of Nations) 26 November 2007 Until 28 November 2007
• Terengganu Monsoon Cup 2007 28 November 2007 Until 2 December 2007

December

• Malaysia Year End Sale Carnival 1 December 2007 Until 1 January 2008
• KL International Buskers Festival 1 December 2007 Until 9 December 2007
• Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 4 December 2007 Until 8 December 2007
• Christmas Celebration and Open House 25 December 2007

In conjuction of Visit Malaysia 2007. Malaysian government has introduce Hop-In-Hop-On bus where all this buses will take travel along around the Kuala Lumpur. Visit Malaysia is one of the biggest events in Malaysia. Join all other tourist and feel the safest living place among us. For more information and details, you can search on website about us and do not hesitate to travel from anywhere of the world to Malaysia.

Listed above is the events nationwide, we also have many other places that promise you such an attractive and fascinating experiences when you come visit Malaysia. Among the favorite places is Malacca, where you can find an ancient building such as Stadthuys, The A'Famosa, The Albuqueqe ship and many more. As on Perak, you can find a Kellie's castle that build on the time of English people. You can visit Sarawak for its popular Cave called Niah. The largest cave in the world. You can also feel the tastes of malaysian cuisine like Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai, Nasi Dagang and many more.

Support us with Visit Malaysia 2007. There is so many ways to enjoy yourself here!!