Originating from the highlands of Borneo, particularly North Kalimantan, Brunei, Sabah, and Sarawak, the Lun Bawang community lives in the Lawas region. They fall under the Orang Ulu tribe in Sarawak. They are also known as 'Murut'. The name 'Murut' is derived from 'Gunung Murut', which is the highest mountain in north Sarawak. (Utusan Sarawak, 2022)

Lun Bawang is famous for its unique harvest traditions, cuisine, handcrafts, and many more. One of the most notorious festivals they celebrate is Irau Aco Lun Bawang.

The celebration details are as follows:

• Duration: 3-days event

• Host: Persatuan Lun Bawang Sarawak

• Theme: Carnival-like event

• Significance: The largest gathering of the community

The Mah Meri are well-known for their rich traditions, dances, and exquisite wood carvings. One of their most prominent yearly tradition is The Sea Ancestor's Day- Hari Muyang.

The details of the event are as follows:

• Duration: 5 days

• Host: Mah Meri people

• Theme: Rememberance & Spirituality

• Significance: To preserve culture and appreciate the ancestors

Significance for the ritual:

• Ask for protection and forgiveness for good fortune.

• Remembering the spirits of the ancestors

• Pay respect to the forebears.

• To be thankful for the good fishing year

Mahligai: a wooden structure at the centre of the shore.

The Mahligai will be set in the middle of the beach, and the people will lay out all their ceremonial offerings to:

• Talk to their ancestors

• While they're talking, it is compulsory for shamans to accompany them.

• Shamans play a role in invoking the spirits to stay with them throughout the whole ceremony.

   

Jo-Oh Dance

The youngsters and elders will come together and will be dressed in traditional outfits to perform the dance.

• To display worship, they will dance and sing together at the shore.

• The reason behind this dance is to ask for good fortune and protection in the upcoming year.

• Cleaning for preparation

• Preparation of musical instruments

• Datuk Panglima Hitam celebration

   

2nd Day

• Continuing preparation by searching for 'dawai' in the jungle ('dawai' is used for decoration).

• Everyone will take part in beautifying the praying area with weaving art.

• Making an ancestor's seat (salung—a place for the ancestors)

3rd day

• Summon the ancestors by sprinkling rice flour.

• To ask for approval from the forebears

• Telling the ancestors that the ceremony will be held on the 5th day

4th day

• Procession to Teluk Tanjung River

• Feast for the Ancestor's Spirit

• Seek blessings at Pulau Carey's sea and rivers.

5th Day (D-Day)

• Hari Pujaan Pantai

• Feast

• Jo'oh Dance performance

Javanese or more commonly known as ‘Jowo’ is one of the many cultures in Malaysia. Around the 19th Century, they migrated from Kepulauan Jawa to Tanah Melayu. Since then, they have become one of the ethnic groups in Malaysia that has lived here for quite some time. Most Javanese people live in Parit Sikon Darat, Parit Raja, and Batu Pahat in Johor.

The objective of the Wong Jowo Festival seeks to unite the Javanese community together, to share their cultural treasures with the nations of the globe, and to help them remember their roots. Therefore the festival will feature variety of performances including Barongan Traditional Dance, Gamelan, and Wayang Kulit to celebrate their unique identity.

The details of the event are as follows:

• Duration: 2 days

• Host: Javanese people

• Theme: Festival

• Significance: Upholding cultural heritage

A rivalry arises after the Princess rejects Warok's proposal; to settle this fight, Warok and Perabu must compete in a performance, with the winner marrying the Princess while the loser will be cursed to become a tiger.

Therefore, it has become a tradisional dance that Javanese people perform until now.
Baragon Tradidional dance is one of the dance that is performed in Wong Jowo Festival.

Gamelan is played with various instruments, which include drums, gongs, and metallophones. All these instruments combined will create an enchanting rhythm and melody. 

Additional information regarding Gamelan:

• Performances like Wayang Kulit and Barongan Traditional Dance are often accompanied by Gamelan music

• Used as traditional music in public

• Played during weddings, harvest festivals, and other events

Wayang Kulit that is frequently performed by Javanese people in Johor is Wayang Kulit Jawa, which originates from Purwa Jawa, Pulau Jawa, Indonesia.

More details regarding Wayang Kulit:

• Delivered in Javanese, accompanied with local Malay language

• Based on the Indian epic Mahabharata's adaptation of the Pendawa Jawa story

• Seri Rama, Sweet News, War music, and Drum Beat Song are a few of the music varieties played.

The Telugu’s originally are from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. They moved to British Malaya and became one of the largest communities here. Now, they have become an ethnic group with 500,000 people in Malaysia. Telugu is mainly famous for its unique cultural attire, food dances, and celebrations. The Ugaadhi celebration is among their most well-known traditions.

The details of the event are as follows:

• Duration: 1 day

• Host: Telugu community

• Theme: Celebration

• Significance: Welcoming a new year

• Preparations will start a week before

• Everyone will clean their house and beautify their homes.

• Shop for new clothing for the special day

The celebration eve

• Join prayers

• Special prayer ceremony (Nokalamma Panduga (Goddess Nokalamma Festival))

• Will be held at night

The celebration day

• Take an oil bath at the crack of dawn

• Mango leaves will be hung above doorways to wish for prosperity, and a unique chalk design will be drawn on the front porch

• Prayers and feasts

Hence, it signifies that mango leaves will attract good yields and healthy well-being. That is the major reason why they decorate their houses with it, and it is essential for everyone during the celebration.

• Bitter (neem) - Represents unhappy moments in life

• Tangy (raw mango) Symbolizes disgraceful or sad episodes

• Sour (tamarind juice) Symbolises difficult or times of hardship

• Spicy (green chilli/pepper) Represents moments of anger and frustration

• Sweet (jaggery) sweet – Utilises life with joy and gladness

• Salty (a pinch of salt) Adds taste and balance to life

Which is what humans feel on a daily basis throughout their lives. In order to have a lovely voyage in this life, this is a way for them to welcome those emotions.

In Malaysia, the Sikh community is a subgroup of the Indian ethnic group, with an estimated population of around 70,000. Originally from Northern India, Sikhs established a significant presence in Malaysia during the British colonial era, making the country one of the early hubs for this minority group. Today, Sikhs are a well-recognized community in Malaysia, known for their unique culture, practices, and authenticity. One of the key celebrations for Sikhs is Vaisakhi, an annual event marking the birth of the Khalsa, the sacred practice central to the Sikh faith. This celebration holds great significance within the community.

The details of the Celebration are as follows:

• Duration: 3 days

• Host: Sikh community

• Theme: Spiritual reflection

• Significance: Vaisakhi marks a significant turning point in Sikh history—the creation of the Khalsa (sacred) by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. Sikhs also use this time to pray for harmony, peace, and prosperity as well as to express gratitude for the harvest.

• Cleaning the Gurdwara

• Decorate and beautify the place

• Arrange priests to take turns reading the Guru Granth Sahib which is a holy scripture that takes 48 hours to complete

During

• Recite Guru Granth Sahib on hourly basis

• Replace Nishan Sahib Selami flag

• Vegeterian feast

Additional information regarding this book is as follows:

• In the form of spiritual hymns

• Glorify God and describe his nature.

• Demonstrates the correct way of living

• Written in ancient Punjabi and Gurmukhi letters

Every important message from God is in this book. Hence, reading the holy scripture is compulsory to reconnect the community with God during the Vaisakhi festival and also to strengthen spirituality.

This ritual is the spotlight of the celebration, as it is only performed during special occasions, and one of them is the Vaisakhi Celebration.