Chinese New Year in Malaysia

Public holiday and employee leave

The Holidays Act 1951 applies to Peninsular Malaysia, including the Federal Territories. Its First Schedule lists Chinese New Year as a one-day public holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu, and a two-day holiday in the other states. The Act also provides for a following-day holiday when a listed holiday falls on the weekly holiday, unless a gazetted notice provides otherwise.[1]

For private-sector employees in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, the Employment Act 1955 provides paid leave on 11 gazetted public holidays each year: five specified holidays and six selected by the employer. Chinese New Year is not one of the five mandatory holidays, so employees should check their employer’s published holiday list. If an entitled holiday falls on a rest day or another public holiday, the next working day is a paid substitute holiday under the Act.[2]

A season for family and visits

Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. A Universiti Teknologi MARA article describes the Malaysian celebration as beginning on New Year’s Eve with a family reunion dinner, followed by visits to relatives and friends or prayers at temples. It also notes the custom of elders giving ang pau, or money packets, to younger unmarried family members.[3]

The season extends beyond the public-holiday days. Tourism Malaysia describes Chap Goh Meh, the fifteenth night of the new year, as marking the close of Chinese New Year celebrations. It reports that the observance includes temple prayers and, at Kuala Lumpur’s Thean Hou Temple, lantern displays and lion dances; its article also notes that Penang holds major Chap Goh Meh events.[5]

Festive food

Food is central to reunion gatherings. Tourism Malaysia describes yee sang as a salad of shredded vegetables, toppings and raw fish, tossed together around the table while diners express wishes for prosperity and good fortune. It also highlights nian gao, a sticky cake made from glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, commonly steamed in Malaysia in a short cylinder wrapped in bamboo leaves.[4]

What to expect during the holiday

Public offices may observe the statutory holiday, but the Holidays Act allows exemptions for some offices and departments. It also excludes banks from the Act’s fixed bank-holiday provisions, so the law does not guarantee that every bank branch will close for Chinese New Year. Shop, transport and service hours vary; check with the specific provider before traveling or planning errands.[1]