Why interfaith celebrations bring me such joy

COMMENT | I’m one of those Malaysians who don’t have a religious or cultural holiday to make a big deal of. The primary reason being that I don’t believe in any afterlife nor any deities.

However, I have always loved how Malaysians can share their goodwill and joyous celebrations with one another.

When I was a kid, Hari Raya meant going to the houses of my father’s colleagues, from one to another, trying hard to avoid overdosing on beef rendang - let’s be honest, I wasn’t trying at all and usually wound up groaning from having eaten too much!

We also did the rounds during Chinese New Year, besides having our own extended family gatherings for Deepavali and Christmas. Good times they were. The concept of an open house is so generous and welcoming – a lovely advertisement for faith and harmony...

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