The Malaysian open house tradition is a festive tradition we need to cherish and celebrate

 

IT is regrettable that the government has decided to cancel the Hari Raya open house all over the country citing the need to save expenses during the present time of increased energy prices that are affecting the economy due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.

The open house is a unique concept that was the brainchild of Tunku Abdul Rahman who felt that the racial and religious diversities of the country need to be celebrated by initiating the open house concept.

Since then the Federal and state governments have supported the open houses every year for Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas.

The MPs and state assemblymen too had made use of this tradition to get closer to their constituents. The local authorities too have their own open houses and a lot of ratepayers and residents are invited to the event with its alluring festive spreads.

A wide array of festive fare is available in these celebrations which have also become popular with the tourists who have not seen these activities in other countries or for that matter in their own countries.

In almost all countries the festive celebrations are confined to family and friends only. There are a lot of cross-cultural menus on offer and people have become familiar with food and dishes that were previously confined to one community only.

Malaysian and others love to experiment with these cross-cultural cuisine. This is a unique celebration of Malaysian diversity and has also spread to East Malaysia.

Tunku Abdul Rahman had much pride in the government and residents hosting the events. Over the years the tradition of neighbours and fellow residents visiting one another homes for the festivities has been in decline due to increasing urbanisation and indifference to communal fellowship.

This is an unwelcome trend and reduces the chances of communal interaction and understanding. To counter this the governments and the elected representatives initiate the open houses in popular venues which are rotated from year to year.

These open houses draw a large number of people ranging from the hundreds to the thousands from diverse groups, and this gives much hope that the open house tradition is still popular and lively and should be continued as it is an exemplary cultural event that unites the nation.

Adding colour and liveliness are music bands and singers who make the open houses even more vibrant and interesting.

Sometimes important announcements are made by the leaders concerning some issues which are covered by the media who also provide detailed lively reports of the open house to the newspapers and news portals.

The open house is a tradition we need to cherish and celebrate for communal fellowship and goodwill to ensure peace, prosperity, and stability in our country. 

 V. Thomas is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.