Half of the population of Malaysia today are
the Malays. The Malays originated from the
Malayo-Polynesian group of races. They first
reached the Peninsula around 2000bc from Yunnan,
China.
 Due
to many influences from the neighbouring areas
like Jawa, Sumatra, the Indian sub-continent,
China, the Middle East and the West, the cultures
of the peninsula Malays have been shaped and
reshaped. This is probably due to the strategic
position for trade, in consequence made its
custom and social identities vary.
The unifying factors among the Malays then
and now is the religion of Islam. Today in
Malaysia, almost all Malays are Muslims.
Despite the Islamic dominancy in their
daily lives, the animistic and Hindu influence
still lingers on, leaving an imprint on
their customs and rituals, traditional beliefs
and a fusion of cultures which manifests
in arts, festival and important ceremonies.
Examples of ceremonies that demonstrate
the extraordinary cultural merging are the
Malay wedding ceremony and the piercing
of earlobes, both of which incorporate elements
of Hindu tradition.
Prominent festivals celebrated include
Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji/Korban,
Awal Muharram and Maulud Nabi.
The Malays, along with the indigenous people,
form a group called bumiputera, a Bahasa Malaysia
term which literally means "sons of the
soil", which accords them special privileges
as enshrined in the Constitution.
|
