← About Malaysia | Malaysia is known for its cultural diversity and rich heritage of exciting folk arts and practices. Among these arts and practices that characterize Malaysia, there are many activities, traditions, arts and folk practices that reflect the heritage and collective spirit of the Malaysian people and enhance the country's unique cultural heritage. These arts and practices that are worth noting include:
1. Batik : a traditional art that is one of the most important folk arts in Malaysia. It has a long history and has great cultural value as it reflects the heritage of the country and local people. It is the art of dyeing cloth by coloring wax paper to create intricate patterns. Wax is applied to the parts that are desired to be preserved in the original color of the fabric, after which the fabrics are dyed in different colors. After drying, the wax is removed to show the final design clearly. Batik designs are famous for their bright and bright colors, and they include several geometric, plant, and animal shapes. The patterned fabric is used to make a variety of traditional clothes, scarves, furnishings, accessories, and art products that are used as souvenirs, and it is very popular as an industrial product for the tourist trade.
2. Sepak Takraw : A popular game played with a cane as a ball and considered a recreational sport. It is played on a semi-rectangular court with a tight net in the middle. The game is played similar to volleyball, but with the feet only, without using the hands. The teams aim to kick the ball over the net, and each team tries to prevent the ball from falling on its side of the net. Sepak Takror is a traditional and popular sport in Malaysia, and local and regional competitions and championships are organized for this sport. 3. Silat : a traditional martial art that has a long history in Malaysia and is considered part of the Malaysian heritage and culture. It includes near and far fighting techniques and uses traditional weapons such as swords, sticks, buttonholes, and others. Characterized by its diverse and dynamic style, Silat as a modern sport aims to develop physical strength, tactical skills, mental focus and sportsmanship. It is taught and practiced in schools and communities, and competitions and shows are organized to showcase skills and competition among players. 4. Gasing : It is a type of game consisting of a circular piece of wood that rotates around its axis by throwing and pulling with a string to wrap and balance on one point for a long time. It is a traditional game of the Malay people since ancient times. It is usually played after harvesting and villages compete for it. The winners are calculated based on the length of time the piece can remain stable while it is spinning.
7. Dikir barat : folk song from the state of Kelantan performed as a group. The leader of the singing group usually leads by singing couplets and rhyming sentences, and the group follows them as a background voice with a strong, loud and enthusiastic voice.
8. Mak Yong : an ancient traditional art of acting, singing and dancing drama, and the embodiment of traditional and mythical figures. It includes movements and musical performance with traditional rituals. It arose in the past, influenced by ancient pagan religious rituals and reverence for spirits. The representations of the story of the epic may continue for several days with its traditional mythological characters in a narrative form.
9. Panton : A type of traditional Malay poetry characterized by improvisation and an emphasis on rhymes. It is performed on popular occasions and some social occasions in an impromptu manner between two people, one of whom starts and the other responds to it as a dialogue to express ideas, feelings, popular stories, or proverbs and wisdom, And it was practiced between the groom's family with the bride's family when presenting the sermon. 10. Congkak : is a traditional game of the Malay community that is often played during leisure time. Usually a wooden plank is used in the form of parallel holes, or holes on the ground and usually konjac fruits, rubber seeds or marbles are used. It requires two players and they stand facing each other, the balls in all the holes are filled evenly and the one who collects the most balls with a certain move and count system wins.
11. Tandingan Suara Burung (Birds Voice Competition) : An activity that includes birds competing in showing the most beautiful sounds and melodies, and encouraging them to tweet and sing. gravity. The idea of the race is to put the birds in a cage or a specific place and give them the opportunity to sing and show off their vocal skills. The votes are judged for beauty, strength, and complexity, and the winning bird is chosen based on the evaluation of a jury, or often on audience feedback.
12. Teng-Teng, also known as (Lompat Katak), is a popular Malaysian game played on the ground with squares drawn using chalk or by digging in the ground by throwing small objects such as stones or bottle caps into the squares and jumping on them with one leg inside the drawn square. Then pick it up.
13. Elephant Foot (Tapak Gajah) is a traditional game that requires balance and concentration. It is a walking race on half of a hookah shell, which is tied to a rope and the player holds the end of it by hand.
14. Laga Lembu (Cow fighting) : A traditional activity that involves a duel between two cows and is considered part of the cultural heritage of Malaysia in ancient times in some societies, but it was banned and is no longer practiced in modern times, Like cockfighting.
