Malay Culture

The definition of a “Malay” is a purely cultural one, namely one who is a Muslim, habitually speaks the Malay language, and follows Malay custom. Custom in Malay is very important as it is sometimes understood to cover all aspects of Malay culture and social life, from styles of dressing and housing to rules of etiquette and social interaction, but it is most commonly restricted to the major life crisis ceremonies of birth, engagement, marriage and death. Considerate is one example of values in Malay culture.

The symbols of Malay culture is “Sirih Junjung”, this symbol got its own purposes in the culture. In ancient times the Malay Rulers have used “Sirih Junjung” as a tool ceremonial crowning of the king or sultan, especially in Kelantan. Nowadays, it is used in a cultural ceremony especially in weddings. “Sirih Junjung” is one of the gifts to the future bride/groom.

In traditional Malay wedding, there are some important stages. First and foremost is the “Merisik”. This custom or rituals is also called a review or visit. In Malay culture, this tradition is the initial stage of a male and female pair, which involves a meeting between representatives of young families with the female parents. The meeting is considered important to honor the female family. The purpose of this custom is to ensure that girls who love the man has not yet engage with any man This is important, because in Islam it is forbidden to be with someone fiancée. In addition, the custom is also intended to investigate the background of the girl. Typically this will be carried out by customary close relatives such as aunty of the man or his uncle. The procession "Merisik" orderly and polite to keep and maintain the good name of both parties.

The greatest Hero of Malay culture is Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was the fourth prime minister of Malaysia, holding office from 1981 to 2003. He improved the economy and was