Public holidays in Malaysia

Public holidays in Malaysia are regulated at both federal and state levels, mainly based on a list of federal holidays observed nationwide plus a few additional holidays observed by each individual state and federal territory. The public holidays are a mix of secular holidays celebrating the nation and its history, and selected traditional holidays of the various ethnic and religious groups that make up the country.

     States that observe a Saturday–Sunday weekend
     States that observe a Friday–Saturday weekend

The legislation governing public holidays in Malaysia includes the Holidays Act 1951 (Act 369) in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, the Holidays Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 56) in Sabah and the Public Holidays Ordinance (Sarawak Cap. 8) in Sarawak.

The workweek and weekend varies between states, with most states and federal territories observing a Saturday–Sunday weekend, while Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu observe a Friday–Saturday weekend, though in Johor many private businesses and banks observe the Saturday–Sunday weekend due to close business ties with Singapore.[1][2] In states and territories with a Saturday–Sunday weekend, a public holiday that falls on Sunday is substituted by a holiday on Monday (or the next working day if Monday itself is a public holiday). In Johor and Kedah, a public holiday that falls on Friday is replaced by Sunday or the next working day, while in Kelantan and Terengganu, a public holiday that falls on Saturday is replaced by Sunday or the next working day.

Overview

Federal (national) holidays

Federal public holidays are fixed by the federal government and are observed nationwide with some exceptions. They are:

Each state and federal territory observes 14 days of federal holidays, except Sarawak which observes 13 days.

Although the second day of Chinese New Year is not listed as a federal holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu, the holiday is gazetted as a state holiday in both states, effectively making it a nationwide holiday. Additionally, the second day of Hari Raya Qurban is gazetted as a state holiday in Kedah and Perlis.

State holidays

In addition to the federal public holidays, each state may gazette a number of state public holidays to be observed in the state. For the federal territories, the Prime Minister is in charge of designating the territorial public holidays to be observed in each federal territory.

In every state, the (official) birthday of the state ruler or governor is celebrated as a public holiday. In the federal territories, the Federal Territory Day is celebrated instead.

The most widespread state holiday is New Year's Day which is observed in eight states and all three federal territories, followed by Nuzul al-Quran in seven states and all three federal territories, and Thaipusam in five states and two federal territories.

As of 2020, each state and federal territory has designated four to six state public holidays, bringing the total number of (federal and state) public holidays to 20 days in Sabah and Terengganu, 19 days in Labuan, Penang and Sarawak and 18 days in the rest of the country.

Holidays by declaration

In Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, under Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951, the Prime Minister may declare any day to be observed as a public holiday in the whole of Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, or in one of the federal territories, or in one of the states after consultation with the relevant state government. The declared holiday must be observed by all employers as a paid holiday.

Public holidays had been declared on the polling day for a general election,[3] on the day of the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,[4] as well as after international sporting events to celebrate the achievements of Malaysian athletes.[5]

At the state level, the state government may declare occasional holiday (cuti peristiwa) for events such as the installation of the state ruler,[6] after major achievements in sporting events,[7][8] or even to provide an extra holiday but unable to officially gazette it (such as the annual holiday declaration for Thaipusam in Kedah).[9][10] Unlike holidays declared under Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951, observance of occasional state holidays by private businesses and organizations is voluntary, while government offices and schools (except for nationwide exams) are closed.

In Sabah and Sarawak, the power to declare any day as a public holiday rests with the state governor (in practice, exercised on the advice of the state government) in accordance with the states' respective Holidays Ordinances.

List of public holidays by declaration

The table below lists additional holidays that were declared under Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 for Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Unless otherwise noted, the same days were also declared as holidays by Sabah and Sarawak in accordance to their respective Holidays Ordinances.

YearDateRemarks
201726 April (Wed)Day of Installation of the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong[4][11][12]
4 September (Mon)Additional holiday in commemoration of the 2017 SEA Games[5][13][14]
20189 May (Wed)Polling day for the 14th general election[3][15][16]
10 & 11 May (Thu & Fri)[A]Additional holidays for the 14th general election (except Sabah and Sarawak)[17]
10 & 13 May (Thu & Sun)[B]
17 & 18 May (Thu & Fri)Additional holidays for the 14th general election (Sarawak only)[18]
201930 July (Tue)Day of Installation of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong[19][20][21]
A In states and federal territories observing the Saturday—Sunday weekend
B In states observing the Friday—Saturday weekend

Entitlement in employment law

In Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, employees whose employment is covered by the Employment Act 1955 are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year. Five of the holidays are fixed by law: National Day, Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday, birthday of the ruler or governor of the state (Federal Territory Day in the federal territories) where the employee is contracted to work, Labour Day and Malaysia Day. The remaining six paid holidays are chosen by the employer from the gazetted public holidays, with notice provided to employees before the start of each calendar year. In addition, any public holiday declared under Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 is to be observed as a paid holiday.

Should an employee be required to work on a paid holiday, the employee may be given another day off, or compensated at two times their ordinary wages in addition to holiday pay. Overtime work done on a paid holiday is to be compensated at three times the hourly rate of pay (or three times the ordinary rate per piece for piece-rated employees).

Employment in Sabah and Sarawak is regulated by the Labour Ordinance of the respective states. Employees in Sabah are entitled to 14 paid public holidays a year while those in Sarawak are entitled to 16 days, with four fixed holidays on National Day, Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday, the State Governor's Birthday and Labour Day. The provisions on compensation for work done on paid holidays are identical to the Employment Act 1955.

Public holidays by states and federal territories
2020 Date[22]Date if not fixed by Gregorian dateEnglish nameMalay name
Johor
Kedah
Kelantan
FT Kuala Lumpur
FT Labuan
Malacca
Negeri Sembilan
Pahang
Penang
Perak
Perlis
FT Putrajaya
Sabah
Sarawak
Selangor
Terengganu
1 January (Wed)New Year's DayHari Tahun BaruYYYYYYYYYYY
14 January (Tue)Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri SembilanY
25 and 26 January (Sat and Sun)[G1][J1]1st and 2nd days of the first lunar month (January–February)Chinese New YearTahun Baru CinaNationwide[D1] YY
1 February (Sat)Federal Territory DayHari Wilayah PersekutuanYYY
8 February (Sat)Full moon in the month of Thai (January–February)ThaipusamHari ThaipusamYYYYYYY
4 March (Wed)Anniversary of Installation of the Sultan of TerengganuHari Ulang Tahun Pertabalan Sultan TerengganuY
22 March (Sun)[G2]Rejab 27Isra and Mi'rajIsrak dan MikrajYYYY
23 March (Mon)Sultan of Johor's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan JohorY
10 April (Fri)Friday before Easter (March–April)Good FridayJumaat AgungYY
15 April (Mon)Declaration of Malacca City as Historical CityHari Perisytiharan Bandar Melaka sebagai Bandaraya BersejarahY
24 April (Fri)[A1][I1]Ramadan 1First day of RamadanAwal RamadanYYY
26 April (Sun)Sultan of Terengganu's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan TerengganuY
1 May (Fri)[I2]Labour DayHari PekerjaNationwide Y
7 May (Thu)First full moon in MayWesak DayHari WesakNationwide Y
7 May (Thu)[L]Hari Hol of PahangHari Hol PahangY
10 May (Sun)[G3]Ramadan 17Day of Nuzul Al-QuranHari Nuzul Al-QuranYYYYYYYYYY
24 and 25 May (Sun and Mon)[A2][H]Syawal 1 and 2Eid al-FitrHari Raya Puasa/Hari Raya AidilfitriNationwide YY
30 and 31 May (Sat and Sun)[G4]Tadau KaamatanPesta Kaamatan (Pesta Menuai)YYYY
1 and 2 June (Mon and Tue)Gawai DayakPerayaan Hari Gawai DayakYY
8 June (Mon)[M]Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Birthday/King's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Yang di-Pertuan AgongNationwide Y
21 June (Sun)3rd Sunday of JuneSultan of Kedah's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan KedahY
7 July (Tue)Declaration of George Town as World Heritage SiteHari Ulang Tahun Perisytiharan Tapak Warisan DuniaY
11 July (Sat)2nd Saturday of JulyPenang State Governor's BirthdayHari Jadi Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau PinangY
17 July (Fri)Raja of Perlis's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Raja PerlisY
22 July (Wed)Sarawak Independence DayHari Kemerdekaan SarawakY
30 July (Thu)Zulhijjah 9Day of ArafahHari ArafahY
30 July (Thu)Sultan of Pahang's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan PahangY
31 July (Fri)[A3][I3]Zulhijjah 10Eid al-Adha (1st day)Hari Raya Qurban/Hari Raya Haji/Hari Raya Aidiladha (hari pertama)Nationwide Y
1 August (Sat)[A4][K2]Zulhijjah 11Eid al-Adha (2nd day)[E]Hari Raya Qurban/Hari Raya Haji/Hari Raya Aidiladha (hari kedua)YYYY
20 August (Thu)Muharram 1First day of MuharramAwal Muharram (Maal Hijrah)Nationwide Y
31 August (Mon)National Day/Merdeka DayHari Kebangsaan/Hari MerdekaNationwide Y
16 September (Wed)Malaysia DayHari MalaysiaNationwide Y
24 September (Thu)Safar 6Hari Hol of Sultan Iskandar of JohorHari Hol Almarhum Sultan IskandarY
3 October (Sat)1st Saturday of OctoberSabah State Governor's BirthdayHari Jadi Yang di-Pertua Negeri SabahY
9 October (Fri)2nd Friday of OctoberMelaka State Governor's BirthdayHari Jadi Yang di-Pertua Negeri MelakaY
10 October (Sat)2nd Saturday of OctoberSarawak State Governor's BirthdayHari Jadi Yang di-Pertua Negeri SarawakY
29 October (Thu)Rabiulawal 12Muhammad's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Nabi Muhammad (Maulidur Rasul)Nationwide Y
14 November (Sat)[C]Naraka Chaturdashi, the day preceding new moon in the month of Aippasi (October–November)Deepavali[F]DeepavaliYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Y
6 November (Fri)1st Friday of NovemberSultan of Perak's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan PerakY
11 and 12 November (Wed and Thu)Sultan of Kelantan's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan KelantanYY
11 December (Fri)Sultan of Selangor's BirthdayHari Keputeraan Sultan SelangorY
24 December (Thu)[23][24][25]Christmas EveHari Sebelum KrismasY
25 December (Fri)[I4]ChristmasHari KrismasNationwide Y
Total holidays18181818191818181918181820191820
Y indicates the holiday is observed in the state/federal territory; YY indicates a two-day holiday
All holidays indicated as nationwide (except second day of Chinese New Year in Kelantan and Terengganu[D2]) are federal holidays.
A1 A2 A3 A4 subject to change based on sighting of the new moon
B was formerly observed on 17 May; amended to 17 July for 2018–2021 to avoid conflicting with observance of Ramadan
C subject to change based on astronomical considerations according to the Hindu almanac
D1 D2 The second day of Chinese New Year is not a federal holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu. However, it is gazetted as a state holiday in both states, effectively making it a nationwide holiday.
E federal holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu
F federal holiday in all states and federal territories except Sarawak
G1 G2 G3 G4 in states and federal territories observing the Saturday–Sunday weekend, the following Monday is a public holiday
H in states and federal territories observing the Saturday–Sunday weekend, the following Tuesday is a public holiday as Monday is also a public holiday
I1 I2 I3 I4 in Johor and Kedah, the following Sunday is a public holiday
J1 in Kelantan and Terengganu, the following Monday is a public holiday as Sunday is also a public holiday
K2 in Kelantan and Terengganu, the following Sunday is a public holiday
L in Pahang, with two public holidays falling on 7 May (Thu), the following day 8 May (Fri) is also a public holiday
M Amended from 6 June (1st Saturday of June) to 8 June for 2020. Subsequent Yang di-Pertuan Agong's Official Birthday will be observed on the 1st Monday of June for the duration of Al-Sultan Abdullah's reign as Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[26]

Types of holidays

Malaysia has one of the highest numbers of public holidays in the world, ranking number seven in the top ten countries after Thailand, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong. Some holidays are federally gazetted public holidays and some are public holidays observed by individual states. Other festivals are observed by particular ethnic or religion groups, but are not public holidays. The main holy days of each major religion are public holidays, taking place on either the western calendar or religious ones.

Secular

The most widespread holiday is the "Hari Kebangsaan" (National Day), otherwise known as "Hari Merdeka" (Independence Day) on 31 August commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya. This, as well as Labour Day (1 May), the King's birthday (9 September) and some other festivals are major national public holidays. Federal Territory day is celebrated in the three Federal territories. Malaysia Day, held on 16 September to commemorate the formation of Malaysia, became a nationwide holiday in 2010. Before that it was celebrated only in Sabah. New Year's Day is also observed as a public holiday in all Malaysian states, except for Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu.

Religious and ethnic

Muslim holidays are highly prominent in Malaysia. The most important of these is Hari Raya Puasa (also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri) which is the Malay translation of Eid al-Fitr. It is generally a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan will the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Aidiladha (also called Hari Raya Haji referring to its occurrence after the culmination of the annual Hajj or Hari Raya Qurban), Awal Muharram (Islamic New Year) and Maulidur Rasul (Birthday of Muhammad).

Malaysian Chinese typically hold the same festivals observed by Chinese around the world. Chinese New Year is the most prominent, lasting for 15-days and ending with Chap Goh Mei (十五瞑). Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Malaysian Indians of the Hindu faith celebrate Deepavali, the festival of light,[27] while Thaipusam is a celebration in which Hindu pilgrims from all over the country meet at the Batu Caves.[28] The most important Sikh festival is the Sikh new year or Vaisakhi festival. Other important days are Lodi and Gurpurab. Other Indian and Indochinese communities observe their new year celebrations at around the same time, such as Pohela Boishakh of the Bengalis and Songkran (water festival) of the Thais. People in the northern states do celebrate the Thai festival of Loy Kratong.[29]

Wesak (Malay for Vesak), the Buddhist festival commemorating Buddha's birth, is a public holiday.[27] Malaysia's Christian community observes most of the holidays observed by Christians elsewhere, most notably Christmas[27] and Easter. Good Friday, however, is only a public holiday in the two Bornean states. The harvest festivals of Gawai in Sarawak and Kaamatan in Sabah are also important for East Malaysians.[30]

New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, and the start of the Islamic calendar are all public holidays.[27]

Participation

Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, festivities are often participated in by all Malaysians. One example of this is the celebration of Kongsi Raya which is used when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincide. The term Kongsi Raya (which means "sharing the celebration" in Malay) was coined because of the similarity between the word kongsi and the Chinese New Year greeting of Gong xi fa cai. Similarly, the portmanteau Deepa Raya was coined when Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincided.[31]

A practice known as "open house" (rumah terbuka) is common during the festivities, especially during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Chinese New Year and Christmas. Open house means that all well-wishers are received and that everyone regardless of background is invited to attend.[32] Open houses are normally held at the home of the host and food are also prepared by the host, however, there are also open houses held at larger public venues especially when hosted by government agencies or corporations. Also during the festivities, most Malaysians would take the time off work or school to return to their hometowns to celebrate the festivities with their extended relatives. This practice is commonly known as balik kampung and usually causes traffic jams on most highways in the country.[33]

Festivals of Malaysia

Religious festivals

Muslim festivals

Buddhist festivals

Christian festivals

Hindu festivals

Taoist festivals

Sikh Festivals

Ethnic festivals

Chinese festivals

East Malaysian festivals
gollark: I mean, if you want to sort them that way, that is.
gollark: If you must, just switch to "small sprite"/"big sprite".
gollark: RADICAL FREEDOM!
gollark: I mean, strictly speaking, you can.
gollark: I am not a borg, I am a MINT.

See also
  • Public holidays of Sabah

References
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  2. "New weekend but business as usual in JB". The Straits Times. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2019 – via AsiaOne.
  3. "Putrajaya declares May 9 a holiday". Malay Mail. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  4. "April 24 a public holiday for Agong's installation". Malay Mail. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  5. "PM Najib declares Sept 4 a public holiday for Malaysia's outstanding success in Sea Games". New Straits Times. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  6. "Kedah declares Oct 22 as occasional public holiday". Malay Mail. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  7. "Selangor govt declares Monday a holiday after Msia Cup win". New Straits Times. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  8. "Win or lose, Sunday declared holiday in Terengganu". New Straits Times. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  9. "Kedah declares Thaipusam 'occasional state holiday'". The Star (Malaysia). 6 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  10. "Thaipusam to remain annual occasional public holiday in Kedah if BN in power: MB". New Straits Times. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  11. "Sabah also declares April 24 a public holiday". New Strait Times. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  12. "April 24 a public holiday for Sarawak too". Borneo Post. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  13. "Sabah declares Sept 4 a public holiday as well". New Strait Times. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  14. "Sept 4 a public holiday in Sarawak". New Strait Times. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  15. "Sabah government announces May 9 as public holiday". New Strait Times. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  16. "Sarawak government declares May 9 as public holiday". The Star. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  17. "Public holidays on Thursday and Friday: Ali Hamsa". New Strait Times. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  18. "May 17 and 18 declared additional public holidays in Sarawak". The Star. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  19. "July 30 declared public holiday over coronation of King". The Star. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  20. "Sabah declares July 30 public holiday for King's coronation". Malay Mail. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  21. "Sarawak to observe July 30 as public holiday for King's coronation". The Star. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  22. Table of Public Holidays 2020, Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Governmental Relations Division, Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia)
  23. "Sabah announces additional public holiday on Dec 24". The Star. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  24. The Holidays Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 56) – The Holidays (Amendment First Schedule) Order 2019, Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Governmental Relations Division, Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia)
  25. Public Holidays 2020, Official Website of the Sabah State Government
  26. "Agong's birthday moved from June 6 to June 8". New Straits Times. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  27. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2008). World and Its Peoples: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. p. 1221.
  28. "Festivals of Malaysia ~ Thaipusam Festival". Go2travelmalaysia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  29. Ben van Wijnen. "Loi Krathong". Malaysiasite.nl. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  30. "Malaysia – Holidays". Go2travelmalaysia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  31. "The English Teacher" (PDF). Malaysian English Language Teaching Association. 2 May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  32. "Religion". Matic.gov.my. Archived from the original on 10 April 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  33. "Ripple effect of the festive rush". New Straits Times. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
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