FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS

1. FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUSCELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS Prepared by Yeoh Dee Huang, Chiang Hui Hui, Iu Chai Woei, Tan Cheng Cheng, Tan Sock Koon Students of 5sc SMK.Pantai Remis FAMOUS CELEBRATIO FAMOUS CELEBR

2. FAMOUS CELEBRATIONS ☺AMERICA BYLynnea Mooreand students ☺INDONESIA BY Saara Suaib , Hanna, Dana, Annisa, Chaulla Students of 7F Al Azhar Islamic School ☺MALAYSIA BY Yeoh Dee Huang,Chiang Hui Hui,Iu Chai Woei, Tan Cheng Cheng,Tan Sock Koon Students of 5sc SMK.Pantai Remis

3. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

4. NEXT AMERICA Our famous or most highly recognized celebrations are Christmas Day and Independence/July 4th. These two holidays are different,but the spirit of the country is the same when these two holidays come around. Christmas is a religious holiday but it is celebrated by almost every one regardless of their religion. People give gifts to loved ones and friends on this day and you wrap them in pretty wrapping paper with ribbons and bows. You buy a christmas tree (usually green and decorated with ribbons, ball, candy canes and mini strings of lights) and the presents are put under the tree and families with children usually bring out the presents when the children are sleeping the night before on Christmas Eve Dec. 24th and when they wake on Christmas Day, Dec.25, they run downstairs to open all the presents and share breakfast and Christmas stories and dinner later that night with the rest of the family. Every one has the Christmas spirit of gift giving and being kind and grateful for family and friends. On July 4th, which is the day we received our independence from England in 1776, there are celebrations everywhere with parties and fireworks. Fireworks are loud and sparkle up in the sky. They are colorful and create an image of lights when thrown into the sky. On this day everyone is at the beach or park and families have barbecues and picnics and spend the day having lots of fun relaxing in the sun. July in New York City is usually very hot, so people like to go to pools and the beach to play in the ocean or water parks. The them of this holiday is the American Flag and the colors, red, white and blue.

5. AMERICA Christmas Lights BACK

6. NEXT INDONESIA In our country the famous celebration is 17th August. That's our country independence day. All people in schools, offices, villages which spread aroud Indonesia must celebrate that day. In schools and offices we celebrate it by holding a flag ceremony and some ceremony as praying for our heroes and sing some national song which is used to give "spirit" to the heroes in the old ages. President and all his staff have this celebration is his Palace (Istana Negara). In schools and villages, usually we have some "traditional" competition. This competition can be varied and very unique. It is sometimes related with the culture of certain tribe in Indonesia. One of them for example is "TUMPENGAN". Where women cook and decorate the yellow rice in pyramid shape. They decorate the TUMPENGAN with many traditional food as pecel, tempe, grilled chicken and other things. And at the top of the pyramid, they put our national flag "Red and White banner" (Bendera Merah Putih). This color is also seen in every places during August. Another competition that we hold in our school are "sack race", "saroong race" (saroong is the traditional clothes in many places in Indonesia), "bakiak race", "palm-tree climber" and many more. Every competition is very interesting. But the most interesting for us is "The palm-tree climbing". There are many men participate in this. We have a tall palm-tree that already oiled. At the top of it, the committee put many present. So the men should co-operate one another to achieve the top. Many times they had to go down and own because of the oil. It was very fun. We have a picture of "Saroong Race" that we'll send you tomorrow. Look how excited the children are and the spirit to win the competition. This is actually the phylosophy of the competition, that they feel their spirit to achieve something. This celebration is related to our culture as well as to the political view. Since this background history is the freedom of our country from colonialism.(Our country had been occupied by the Dutch for 350 years and Japan for 3,5 years) So, this celebration is still very famous and really respected by all people in our country.

7. INDONESIA Indonesians celebrate 59 years of independence from Dutch rule on Tuesday with games. For these men, the challenge is to climb the greasy pole - and collect a prize. BACK

8. MALAYSIA OF 1 The famous celebration in my country is Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Hari Raya begins in the heart of Muslims three to four months before the auspicious day itself. The countdown begins with the onset of the fasting month, bulan Ramadhan. Hari Raya is the time for keeping in touch because people are too busy to visit one another at other times of the year. Visiting elders and relatives is a must. Hari raya is a joyous time, not only for Muslims but also for non-Muslims because this is the time for them to strengthen ties with their Muslim friends. The fast starts at the moment when it is possible to distinguish between a white thread and a black thread held against the rising sun. It ends at sunset when the last rays of the sun disappears. A spirit of merriment prevails at the breaking of fast which usually begins with sweets and cooling drinks. These can be bought at roadside stalls which mushroom all over the place. Working parents usually stop by these stalls on their way home from work. The fasting month is as much a part of the Hari Raya as the day itself. In the last one or two weeks before the Hari Raya, there is a flurry of activities in the Muslim homes. The women are on their feet most of their free time baking an assortment of cakes and cookies. The men do their part in painting the house and clearing the garden to prepare for the day. This is also the time when they go to the tailors for the baju kurung and baju Melayu. The adults usually get very tired preparing for the Hari Raya but children love this busy atmosphere. Everything looks new, from the food to the carpet. These would be curry, rendang and ketupat for visitors who come on the morning of the first day. By afternoon, these delicacies have disappeared but there are plenty of cakes and other savoury foods to last a whole month. Besides this, sometimes, they also will held a opening-house( rumah terbuka) to invite friends and family to visit each other. It makes the celebration so unique and special to our country. The celebration is meaningful because it can build up a harmonious and tolerance community among the different races in Malaysia. NEXT

9. MALAYSIA OF 2 NEXT One of the famous celebrations in my country is Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year Festival is the most significant holiday for Chinese people around the world, regardless of the origin of their ancestors. It is also known as the Lunar New Year Festival because it is based on the lunar calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar. The Lunar New Year is the most significant festival for ethnic Chinese around the world, wherever they come from. It is also same for the Chinese people in my country too. The holiday is a very jubilant occasion mainly because it is the time when people take a break from work to get together with family and friends. We celebrate it because it was a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and themselves on having passed through another year, a time to finish out the old, and to welcome in the New Year. Common expressions heard at this time are: GUONIAN to have made it through the old year, and BAINIAN to congratulate the New Year. Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In Malaysia, people may take few days of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is that of Nien, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast, which the Chinese believe, eats people on New Year's Eve. To keep Nien away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nien is said to fear the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nien away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is Gong-xi, or "congratulations."

10. Prior to New Year's Day, Chinese families decorate their living rooms with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. On walls and doors are poetic couplets, happy wishes written on red paper. These messages sound better than the typical fortune cookie messages. For instance, "May you enjoy continuous good health" and "May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth and the Star of Longevity shine on you" are especially positive couplets. On the last day of the old year, everyone was busy either in preparing food for the next two days, or in going to the barbers and getting tidied up for the New Year’s Day. Tradition stipulated that all food be pre-pared before the New Year’s Day, so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, could be put away to avoid cutting the "luck" of the New Year. The kitchen and well were not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year. During the lunar New Year's Eve, family members who are no longer living at home make a special effort to return home for reunion and share in a sumptuous meal. At that time, family members hand out "lucky money" in red envelopes to elders and children and stay up all night to welcome the New Year. Chinese people have long believed that staying awake all night on New Year's Eve would help their parents to live a longer life. Thus, lights are kept on the entire night--not just to drive away Nien, as in ancient times, but also as an excuse to make the most of the family get-together. Some families even hold religious ceremonies after midnight to welcome the God of the New Year into their homes, a ritual that is often concluded with a huge barrage of firecrackers. Although this, in Malaysia people are not allowed to light the firecrackers and fireworks because it is violate the laws. On New Year’s Day, everyone had on new clothes, and would put on his best behavior. It was considered improper to tell a lie, raise one’s voice, use indecent language, or break anything on the first day of the year. Starting from the second day, people began going out to visit friends and relatives, taking with them gifts and Lai-See for the children. Visitors would be greeted with traditional New Year delicacies, such as melon seeds, flowers, fruits, tray of togetherness, and NIANGAO, New Year cakes. NEXT

11. I think the most interesting part of the celebration is the comparing between traditional and modem. The first point to be noticed in comparing the Malaysians celebrations of today to that described in the preceding section is that they have been shortened or simplified. Chinese Malaysians stores in this country do not close for a week to celebrate. Therefore, many of the festivities have been adapted for the evenings or the weekends. This includes the social visits and the family dinners. In many Chinese Malaysians homes, the annual housecleaning is still done at New Year’s time. The government of Malaysia usually held a Chinese New Year Open House for all multi-racial people during the first or second day of Chinese New Year. The multi-ethnic Malaysians will gather together to celebrate Chinese New Year. The government will prepare Chinese traditional food to serve the guest. The Open House has successfully accelerated the relationship between the multi-races in my country. Till nowadays, the Open House has become to an annual celebrations. The multi-races people in my country such as Malays and Indians has view the celebration as a joyfully celebration with Chinese people. There also think that the celebration is a great way to let them integrate with each other. NEXT

12. MALAYSIA different races in Malaysia Respect the eldest Hari Raya famous food --“ketupat” Hari Raya open house NEXT

13. Chinese new year--The Propitious Symbol  To keep ghosts and monsters away, prints of Door Gods are pasted on the front of doors. (Courtesy of the Council for Culture Affairs)  NEXT

14. To ensure good luck in the coming year, the Taiwanese always give every dish a special name. This dish is called the "Five Blessings for the New Year" and represents longevity, wealth, peace, wisdom, and righteousness. NEXT

15. For children, the most exciting part of the holiday comes when they receive their hong bao, red envelopes full of cash.  BACK