Colors of Penang - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Penang is famous for its majestic holidays which are always accompanied with the brightest customs and rituals. Bright events have turned into genuine local landmark being of greatest interest for guests and attracting curious tourists from all over the world. The brightest ethnic fest is considered to be the Thaipusam Festival being dedicated to the Hindu idol Murugan. The Festival is held annually in January. The main events of the ethnic holiday take places on the premises of temples. The day of the Festival features unique rituals conducted by priests. Some rituals may seem rather cruel to foreign guests.

These rituals are the reason of banning of the festival in some oriental countries meanwhile in Penang and other regions of Malaysia the festival is still celebrated every year. The main holiday according to the Buddhist calendar is the Wesak Day. It is celebrated according to the lunar calendar that is why a date of its celebration varies each year. The custom of this day is visiting Buddha temples and making donations and sacrificial offerings.

The holiday is followed by another interesting custom. Local folks let thousands of pigeons free of cages. Flying skyward the pigeons symbolize Buddha on the way to nirvana. During a holiday week monks and priests of all Buddha temples tell visitors about life of Buddha. Central streets of the city witness bright marches and performances. At nightfall paper lanterns are installed at every temple of the city being the main symbols of enlightenment coming to our world. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

It should be noted that bright paper lanterns have become one of the main ethnic symbols of Penang for local folks. These lanterns are used as house decorations in the season of numerous fests and holidays. The Deepavalli Day is dedicated to the lanterns being also known as a festival of lights. The holiday of lights is celebrated on the 7th of November. Literally the name of the holiday is translated as a row of lights. According to one of the theories the holiday was born more than five thousand years ago.

The festival symbolizes the end of the next Hindu year and celebrates the beginning of winter being known as a season of rains. During the holiday day local folks clean their houses and keep the “vikku” lanterns lighted. The lanterns symbolize the triumph of good over evil. At nightfall local folks set off to the coastal area and set small lanterns afloat. This ritual is a unique sacrificial offering to the goddess Lakshmi. It is believed that people who venerated the goddess on this day will face luck in all aspects of life though the entire next year.