The People

The Friendly Malaysians

The people of Malaysia are made up of various ethnic groups. The multi-ethnic character of Malaysia’s population has come into being over the course of the last 700 years. Malaysia with is strategic location and rich natural resources flourished as trading centre and attracted an influx of people from the neighboring lands and traders from the Middle East, India and China in the 13th and 14th centuries. Portuguese, The Dutch and The British who coveted the monopoly of the spice trade have also influenced the character and customs of the Malaysian people.

Malaysia’s population reflects the diverse cultures, traditions and religions of the various ethnic communities. Malaysia exemplifies a multiracial society that lives in peace and true harmony.

Once you have overcome your jet lagged fatigue, step into the real heart of Malaysia. You would be pleasantly surprised at the warmth of Malaysians. Deeply entrenched within each of the different ethnic races is the engaging charm and traditional hospitality for which Malaysia is renowned for.

Malaysians in general enjoy meeting people from other lands. So, do go right ahead and strike up a conversation. After all, the whole point of traveling is getting to know other cultures.

When greeting a Muslim, offer your both hands for a light handshake and then bring your hands towards you, fingertips lightly touching your heart. This is the traditional Salam or greeting of acceptance. Hindus greet with Namaste (in Hindi) or Vanakam (in Tamil). Both palms are brought together as in prayer at mid chest level. With a Chinese, you may shake hands. If you are really unsure about all the different forms of greeting, just smile and nod your head slightly when introduced.

This event is expected to bring a large number of visitors to Terengganu and an estimated enumeration shows that half of them will most likely be visitors from other parts of the world.