Kongsi Raya
Encyclopedia
Kongsi Raya is a Malaysian portmanteau, denoting the Chinese New Year
and Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid ul-Fitr
) festival
s. As the timing of these festivals fluctuate due to their reliance on lunar calendar
s, they occasionally occur close to one another. For the sake of convenience, Malaysian media took to combining "kongsi" (from the traditional Chinese New Year greeting, gong xi fa cai) and "raya", the Malay
word for "celebration", which is often used to denote the Muslim
Eid ul-Fitr festival ("Hari Raya Aidilfitri"). As the Hindu
festival of Deepavali also occasionally occurs around Eid ul-Fitr, the portmanteau of DeepaRaya
has also come into common usage.
Malaysia's national-level Kongsi Raya celebrations are now held in Johor
's Danga Bay where they draw up to 300,000 people. A related portmanteau to Kongsi Raya is kongsi puasa, referring to some non-Muslims who also observe the traditional Muslim fast
during Ramadhan. (Puasa being the Malay word for fast.)
Like DeepaRaya, Kongsi Raya has been criticised by some conservative Muslims for allegedly placing a Muslim festival on par with a non-Muslim one. This includes PAS
, a major opposition political party
, which has expressed concern that the practice of celebrating Kongsi Raya might negatively affect Muslims' aqidah (faith). Islam is the official religion of Malaysia.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
and Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
) festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s. As the timing of these festivals fluctuate due to their reliance on lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
s, they occasionally occur close to one another. For the sake of convenience, Malaysian media took to combining "kongsi" (from the traditional Chinese New Year greeting, gong xi fa cai) and "raya", the Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
word for "celebration", which is often used to denote the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Eid ul-Fitr festival ("Hari Raya Aidilfitri"). As the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
festival of Deepavali also occasionally occurs around Eid ul-Fitr, the portmanteau of DeepaRaya
DeepaRaya
DeepaRaya is a name for the Deepavali and Hari Raya festivals, which are traditionally celebrated by ethnic Indians and Malays respectively in Malaysia as well as in Singapore. The word came about because of the occasional coincidental timing of the Hindu festival Deepavali and the Muslim festival...
has also come into common usage.
Malaysia's national-level Kongsi Raya celebrations are now held in Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
's Danga Bay where they draw up to 300,000 people. A related portmanteau to Kongsi Raya is kongsi puasa, referring to some non-Muslims who also observe the traditional Muslim fast
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
during Ramadhan. (Puasa being the Malay word for fast.)
Like DeepaRaya, Kongsi Raya has been criticised by some conservative Muslims for allegedly placing a Muslim festival on par with a non-Muslim one. This includes PAS
PAS (political party)
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang...
, a major opposition political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, which has expressed concern that the practice of celebrating Kongsi Raya might negatively affect Muslims' aqidah (faith). Islam is the official religion of Malaysia.
Other references
- "Balik Kampung". Retrieved Nov. 1, 2005.