Malaysians decry Halloween overshadowing Diwali in date clash of festivals

Halloween’s rising popularity in Malaysia has sparked calls on local businesses to prioritise local festivities over imported celebrations

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A family celebrating the Diwali festival. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:12pm, 30 Oct 2024

A calendar clash of festivals in multi-racial Malaysia, with Diwali and Halloween falling on the same day, has spurred debate over the rise of imported culture at the expense of local customs and faiths as malls dedicate more space to pumpkins and ghouls than oil lamps and peacock feathers.

Diwali is observed by Malaysia’s 2 million Hindus as well as its small Sikh population. Celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, the festival falls on October 31, the same day this year as Halloween, a festival with roots in Europe but popularised by American culture.

With malls playing the role of quasi-town squares in Malaysia, the optics of which community’s festival gets the best decoration and displays longest can get thorny among the country’s 34 million population of different ethnic groups.

This year, dismay over Halloween has united people across Malaysia’s social media. Citizens from all backgrounds questioned the growing obsession with the Western holiday, calling on businesses to prioritise local festivities over imported celebrations.

“It’s appalling to see the darkness overshadowing the light,” said Facebook user Paul Netto, referring to the contrasting theme of Diwali and Halloween’s “spooky season”.

“I have nothing against Halloween, but we should know our priorities and culture.”