Through my research on Malaysia I found that Malays and other native
groups are called Bumiputras
(sons of the soil) and comprise 61 percent of the total population. Chinese
consist of 24 percent of the population and live mostly in urban areas on the
peninsula. Indians are of 7 percent and also live primarily on the peninsula. Religion
is tied to ethnicity and 60 percent of the population is Muslim and the
official religion is Islam. While ethnic groups are mainly segregated, ties
between individuals are developed through educational, social and sporting
events/organizations. Malay is the official language of Malaysia however; the
Chinese and Indian populations speak their own languages.
A growing number of Malaysians are considering Education and hard work to be the key to success and social status, but many Malaysians believe successes, failures, misfortunes and opportunities are a result from fate or the will of God. Individual wealth, connection to power, home ownership, and higher education are highly admired in the Malaysian culture. Cars are considered a luxury item and are a status symbol. Ancestral backgrounds often are also important to social status and future opportunities.
Cooperation, faithfulness and harmony are very important in the Malaysian family. Rural households are likely to have more than one generation and unmarried adults live with their families until they are married. The typical urban home is a Western-style house, townhouse, condominium, or apartment. In the rural areas, traditional Kampong (village) homes are most common. Kampong homes have a place where guest are entertained, a family living area where the family eats, sleeps and relaxes and a kitchen which is usually in the back of the house. Most of the homes have electricity, running water and bathing/toilet areas by the kitchen. Guest are served first and begin eating first and it is impolite to leave food on the plate. People eat with hands, a spoon or with chopsticks.
Traditions marking birth, coming of age, and death are most common in rural areas. When a child is born to a Malay family, the father wipes the baby's mouth with a white cloth to represent that the child should always speak the truth. The father also takes the placenta and places it in a clay pot, which is later buried beneath the house. A party is held 44 days after the birth of the child where the family and friends celebrate the naming of the baby. Boys are circumcised when they reach puberty, and a large celebration is held. A Chinese mother will not wash her hair, leave the house, or see her parents for several weeks following a birth. It usually is the mother-in-law’s job to take care of the mother. After the confinement period, a celebration is held, at which red-dyed hard-boiled eggs are eaten and the baby's hair is cut. The Indian mother stays in the home for 28 days after she delivers her baby. The baby is not called by his or her name until the 28th day when a party is help and the name of the baby is whispered in the child’s ear.
For funerals, Malay’s follow Muslim traditions in which the body is wrapped in a white cloth and a religious leader washes the body. The body must be buried within 12 hours of death. In Chinese families, funerals involve the oldest son washing and dressing the body, and a silver coin is placed between the teeth. Mourners of the deceased burn paper offerings representing various possessions, which are believed to accompany the deceased to the afterlife. For Indian families, oil lamps burn for at least 16 days following a death and relatives bathe the body as well as dress it in new clothes. Coins are placed on the eyes, and if the deceased was a married woman, the bindi (red dot) is wiped from her forehead. Most Indians are cremated.
The people of Malaysia are proud of their country and generally loyal, but they often identify themselves first with their ethnic group, island, or region. There are some ethnic tensions that exist between the Bumiputras and the Chinese as well as the Indians over the quota system. Chinese and Indians believe the policies make them second-class citizens, while the majority of Malays believe they provide the only path for Bumiputras to overcome traditional Chinese power in business.
A growing number of Malaysians are considering Education and hard work to be the key to success and social status, but many Malaysians believe successes, failures, misfortunes and opportunities are a result from fate or the will of God. Individual wealth, connection to power, home ownership, and higher education are highly admired in the Malaysian culture. Cars are considered a luxury item and are a status symbol. Ancestral backgrounds often are also important to social status and future opportunities.
Cooperation, faithfulness and harmony are very important in the Malaysian family. Rural households are likely to have more than one generation and unmarried adults live with their families until they are married. The typical urban home is a Western-style house, townhouse, condominium, or apartment. In the rural areas, traditional Kampong (village) homes are most common. Kampong homes have a place where guest are entertained, a family living area where the family eats, sleeps and relaxes and a kitchen which is usually in the back of the house. Most of the homes have electricity, running water and bathing/toilet areas by the kitchen. Guest are served first and begin eating first and it is impolite to leave food on the plate. People eat with hands, a spoon or with chopsticks.
Traditions marking birth, coming of age, and death are most common in rural areas. When a child is born to a Malay family, the father wipes the baby's mouth with a white cloth to represent that the child should always speak the truth. The father also takes the placenta and places it in a clay pot, which is later buried beneath the house. A party is held 44 days after the birth of the child where the family and friends celebrate the naming of the baby. Boys are circumcised when they reach puberty, and a large celebration is held. A Chinese mother will not wash her hair, leave the house, or see her parents for several weeks following a birth. It usually is the mother-in-law’s job to take care of the mother. After the confinement period, a celebration is held, at which red-dyed hard-boiled eggs are eaten and the baby's hair is cut. The Indian mother stays in the home for 28 days after she delivers her baby. The baby is not called by his or her name until the 28th day when a party is help and the name of the baby is whispered in the child’s ear.
For funerals, Malay’s follow Muslim traditions in which the body is wrapped in a white cloth and a religious leader washes the body. The body must be buried within 12 hours of death. In Chinese families, funerals involve the oldest son washing and dressing the body, and a silver coin is placed between the teeth. Mourners of the deceased burn paper offerings representing various possessions, which are believed to accompany the deceased to the afterlife. For Indian families, oil lamps burn for at least 16 days following a death and relatives bathe the body as well as dress it in new clothes. Coins are placed on the eyes, and if the deceased was a married woman, the bindi (red dot) is wiped from her forehead. Most Indians are cremated.
The people of Malaysia are proud of their country and generally loyal, but they often identify themselves first with their ethnic group, island, or region. There are some ethnic tensions that exist between the Bumiputras and the Chinese as well as the Indians over the quota system. Chinese and Indians believe the policies make them second-class citizens, while the majority of Malays believe they provide the only path for Bumiputras to overcome traditional Chinese power in business.
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