Malaysia Day is almost here! 16 September is not just a public holiday, it is a day full of history for Malaysia. 

In general, from 16 September 2010, the date became a public holiday for the whole country to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation in 1963. That's why we will have a holiday on 16 September every year or better known as Malaysia Day.

The Birth of Malaysia

Malaysia Day is a symbol of the joining of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia. The Federation of Malaya Agreement was signed by representatives of the British government, the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia.

Malaysia was finally declared on 16 September 1963 at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. Previously, Malaysia Day was a public holiday in Sabah in conjunction with the birthday of the Sabah President; however, it is not a public holiday in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. In 2010, it was announced that September 16 will be a public holiday for the entire country.

Here is a list of 20 interesting facts about Malaysia that I think all Malaysians should know:

1. Malaysia actually started with the name Tanah Malaya which refers to the region or archipelago in this region. The name was so popular among foreign traders in the past that the name Malaya was known by various names such as I-Tsing (among Chinese, Indian and Western countries), Malaiur (Marco Polo), Malaiyur (Tanjore-Sanskrit inscription in India), Ma- Li-Yu-R (Yuan Shih/Chinese), Mailiur (Siamese) and Malayo (Albuquerque/ Portuguese).

2. According to history, Malay is referred to more as a place from the 6th to the 10th century. In the 11th century, the Malays became a group of the Malay race.

3. Tunku Abdul Rahman declared the date of Malayan independence at Padang Pahlawan, Bandar Hilir, Melaka on 20th Feb, 1956.

4. 31st of August, 1957 was Independence Day for Malaya from the British colony but Malaysia was formed through the combination of the states of the Malay Peninsula, Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) and Singapore. Brunei refused to join the coalition. However, in 1965, Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia.

5. The Bujang Valley located along the foot of Mount Jerai is the location of the Langkasuka Malay Empire which is the Old Kedah Kingdom approximately 1500 years ago. The name Lembah Bujang is a reference to the Sanskrit word "Bujang" or "Bhujangga" which means a snake or dragon that symbolizes the prosperity of a place.

6. The Malaysian flag was officially used on the 16th of September, 1963. It was designed by an architect at JKR in Johor Bahru, Mr Mohamad bin Hamzah. The original design is 11 blue and white stripes with a yellow moon and star on the left side. This original design has gone through several amendments and in the end, the design of the Malaysian Flag follows the design of the Federation of Malaya with modifications to the number of stripes and 14 corner stars to show the 14 new states for the Federation of Malaysia. The Malaysian flag was approved by King George VI on 19 May 1950 and was first flown in front of the Selangor Palace on 26 May 1950.

7. Kuala Kangsar District Office is the last place where the original rubber tree was planted. This rubber tree was brought in by HN Ridley from London's Kew Gardens in 1877.

8. Chinese documents written as early as the 6th century stated that the name Kelantan was once pronounced as Ho-Lan-Tan alongside other names such as Tan-tan and Chich-tu.

9. The first movie shown in Malaya in 1933 which was the film Laila Majnun, based on a Sanskrit puppet performance directed by BS Rajhann and produced by a company called Motilal Chemical Company based in Singapore. This film starred M. Suki, Fatimah Jasmin, Syed Ali Mansoor Al Attas. In 1962, a film with the same title was remade by Cathay Keris Production, Malaya. It stars Nordin Ahmad and Latifah Omar with direction by BN Rao.

10. Penang Free School is the oldest English School in Southeast Asia. It was founded by Pastor Sparke Hutchings in 1816.

11. Nasi Kandar, a type of cuisine popular among Malaysians today was originally brought in by Indian Muslim immigrants where the best is in Penang with its unique ingredients. Among the famous nasi kandar restaurants are in Kampung Melayu, Ayer Hitam, Jalan Penang and Jelutung.

12. The local time in Malaysia has been changed several times throughout Malaysia's history. On December 31, 1930, local time was advanced by 10 minutes to extend daylight hours; on September 1, 1941, it was added another 10 minutes. In 1942, during Japanese rule, the time in Malaya was advanced by 2 hours to match the time in Japan. In 1945, it was set back 2 hours as in 1941. And on January 1, 1982, the time in Peninsular Malaysia was accelerated by 30 minutes to standardize the time throughout Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak, making it the Malaysian standard time.

13. Kota Bharu is the place where the Japanese Army landed in Malaysia during the 2nd World War in 1941. The landing of the Japanese army by land started in Singora, Thailand and the Japanese landed by air through Sabak Beach, Kota Bharu. Using only bicycles (the term - Bicycle Blitzkrieg), the Japanese army took 45 days to advance to Singapore (where it was the most important centre in the British Empire after London) and successfully conquered it.

14. The first railway track built in Malaya was between Port Weld (now - Kuala Sepetang) to Taiping, in 1885 and it was 13.6km long.

15. Sungai Besi Airport in Kuala Lumpur recorded a record as the first airport in the country and on 1.8.1956 it was declared international standard, made by the Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman simultaneously with the official opening of the new base building costing $590,000. Kuala Lumpur Airport (KLIA) was first built in 1930 and expanded in 1948. Sungai Besi Airport is 6,200 feet long. It can be used in all weather. The first plane to land at this airport was a British plane, BOAC in the 30s.

16. Kok Shoo Yin was the first Malaysian Citizen Certificate holder in Malaysia when he received the Certificate on 14th November 1957.

17. Did you know that the original date for the establishment of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak was the 31st of August, 1963? But when that date arrived and the discussions were not completed, the establishment of Malaysia was postponed to September 16, 1963. However, Singapore under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew declared independence on 31 August 1963, which was 2 weeks earlier than the set establishment date.

18. Star Three is the nickname of the Malayan Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), a military wing of the Communist Party of Malaya (PKM). The Three Star symbol is to represent the three races namely Malay, Chinese and Indian. However, the PKM that was established in Kuala Pilah in 1930 was dominated by the Chinese because it was originally the Nanyang Communist Party which was the left wing of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). But in Malaya, without the participation of the Malays, no political party can succeed. On February 23, 1950, 17 policemen were killed in Bukit Kepong due to communist brutality. 200 communist terrorists attacked and burned the police station in Bukit Kepong. What is shameful, these 200 communist terrorists are led by a Malay himself named Muhammad Indera from the 4th Independent Company, Communists.

19. Yap Ah Loy or real name Yap Tet Loy in Kwangtung Province, China in 1837. He came from a poor farming family and never went to school. At the age of 18, he came to Malaya to work in a tin mine in Durian Tunggal, Melaka and later married Kok Kang Keown, a local girl from Melaka. After he was appointed as Kapitan Cina Sungai Ujong, Kapitan Cina Kuala Lumpur at that time, Liu Ngim Kong, invited him to Kuala Lumpur to help manage his business. Yap Ah Loy became a famous citizen in Kuala Lumpur and he built the Sze Si Yeah Temple. His courage and leadership led to his appointment as Kapitan Cina Kuala Lumpur in 1868 at the age of 31. He has succeeded in developing Kuala Lumpur to become a developed and famous city that attracts many people to migrate there. Then in 1881, he introduced the first steam power pump in Malaya. In 1884, he founded the first Chinese school in Kuala Lumpur. In 1885, Yap Ah Loy died at the age of 48.

20. Melaka is known as the Historic Melaka City because it has many historical relics from the Portuguese and Dutch colonization such as A' Famosa - Kota A Famosa (meaning "Famous" in Portuguese) was built by the Portuguese as soon as they successfully captured Melaka in 1511. A Famosa is located in Bandar Hilir, Melaka next to the replica of the Malacca Sultanate Palace and St. Paul. It is the oldest surviving European architecture in Asia. St. Church. Paul – Church of St. Paul is a church located in Bandar Hilir, Malacca. It was built by a Portuguese Captain named Duarte Coelho in 1521 and named "Our Lady of The Hill". Among other historical relics are the Chinese Hill, St Francis Xavier Statue, Porta de Santiago, Stadhuys Building (Dutch Relic), and City of St. John.

Hari Malaysia 2022

For the year 2022, the government has introduced the theme of National Day together with Malaysia Day. The theme is 'Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama' which roughly translates to Malaysian Family, Strong Together. This year is the 59th Malaysia Day celebration, which will be held at the Declaration of Independence Memorial Square in Banda Hilir, Melaka with the 50s and 60s era as the theme. Are you going to Melaka to celebrate? How many facts did you know from the 20 I listed? Let me know in the comment section.

Join our #MalaysiaKita campaign and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM9,000 - including a 4D3N stay at Royale Chulan Cherating! Find out how you can participate here.  

TravelMom is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.

Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

Newswav is solely an aggregation platform and hosts the content. The views expressed and content above including media (pictures, videos, etc) were provided by the author. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.