But here is a post about my second major holiday in Malaysia!
The most special holiday I have spent in Malaysia was Deepavali, this is celebrated by all the Indian communities and just as every major holiday, the date tends to change year to year. This past year, Diwali fell on November 2nd.
Before going on and explaining what happens during Deepavali, I want to explain why this is the most important holiday for me. This is an important holiday for me because it was when I met ALL my extended host family, and they did make me feel like I was at home, although I know they kept asking my sister who I was and why I was there and kept staring a bit too much. Also, I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures…I thought I had lost my camera and I forgot you can take more than selfies with your phone.
Deepavali (Diwali)
The “Festival of Lights” celebrates Rama’s (the 7th avatar of the God Vishnu) victory over Ravana (the demon). It celebrates the victory of Light over Darkness. Deepavali is the most important Hindu festival in Malaysia. Hindus celebrate this by illuminating their homes, they light up clay lamps called diyas and keep them going on for the whole night. The diyas are usually placed within kolams, which are drawings made out of colored rice, rice powder, and chalk. These are to invite Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth into their homes. And like every other Malaysian holiday, Indians of all groups, invite their families and friends into their homes for the open houses.
I got this from the internet. This is an example of an elaborate Kolam, found outside Pavillion a mall in Kuala Lumpur.
A few weeks before Diwali my host parents took me and my sister to Little India, somewhere near Klang I think, to go shopping for our Deepavali punjabi suits and a sari we were going to wear to a wedding (we were later unable to attend the wedding, so my sari remains unworn ): ). Anyways, it was quite busy already! With lines and lines of people crowding into the shops, ordering clay pots, cloths, and arrangements all for the holiday still a few weeks away! I’m starting to think that Malaysia is an amazing country for shopping…holiday sales basically all year round!
Somewhere in Klang.
Anyways, my parents and sister took me around, pointing out music, jewelry, clothes, food (ohhh yess the food), and random facts about Hinduism and Indian culture.
This is the reason I cannot fit into my jeans or shorts anymore. ‘Sweets, come to me my sweets”
After much time of much awaited anticipation, the evening before the 2nd, we all dressed, picked up Ama (my host grandmother), and went to a relatives house. I think the house belonged to the oldest relative of my host grandfather…Not really sure what was the relation. Anyways, when we got there there were a few family members already. They all greeted us quite warmly but I still remember the looks they all gave me as they told me to sit down. Only my host aunt, uncle and grandmother knew who I was, so everyone else was much more perplexed. I remember sitting near the door when an auntie walked in and said something, in Hindi I later learned, then in annoyance scoffed and left the room. It wasn’t until much later that evening that I learned she thought I was Punjabi/Northern Indian and thought I was being rude when I didn’t acknowledge her greeting. Sorry!
After the whole family was there and introduction were made, my host grandmother began lining up people according to age and started doing prayers to our ancestors. I was so surprised when she called me over and told me to do the prayer too. She was by my side and instructed me what to do. I honestly love the fact how my host grandmother was always including me in the prayers and whatever was going on. It made me feel like I really was beginning to be part of the family.
After the prayers were done, we all had dinner! Oh my god, the food was delicious. Prawn sambal (which I couldn’t eat because as we had found out the month before I was allergic to sambal), vegetable curry, mutton curry, rice, murukku, and so so so so much fish curry. After dinner the aunties asked my host cousins, sister, and me to go and begin the kolam outside the entrance (Seriously, some Kolams are amazing! And huge..they all are beautiful. Full of geometric patterns and important symbols) . After finishing it, we all headed home to rest for the big day.
On November 2nd, after having showered and gotten ready, we all headed to a Hindu Temple, where my sister and dad did some prayers. I had no idea what was going on but my mom and sister shoved a small oil lamp into my hands and told me to follow them. I mimicked what they were doing, and then finally we all crowded around where the priests where. I remember them sprinkling some water into us and then another priest coming with a bucket (?) of rosemary water and pouring a bit of it into people’s hands. I saw they were drinking it and after having my dad tell me to drink it I did. Many people kept looking at me, my dad said it was because they thought I was Punjabi and normally Punjabis are Sikhs not Hindu. Anyways, after all that we all headed to the house from the night before and spent the day with the family.
Like with Hari Raya, there was a lot of food, a lot of people visiting, and of course duit! The older married, and unmarried, cousins passed out enveloped with money to unmarried/youngins. I can brag that among fellow exchangers I was making bank.
We spent the day talking to family, eating, playing games, and just relaxing.
Deepavali is such a family holiday, centered on sharing memories and moments with your siblings and cousins and uncles and aunties and grandparents. I mean, it literally was a full house. And finally, after two days I went from being ‘That girl’ to to finally ‘Priya’s sister’.
Can, I say mission accomplished?
My host sister and I. The house was so crowded we crowned the stairs as our own. She really does look like my sister.
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