Watch this video of Thaipusam!
Social OrganizationNuclear families are common. Unmarried adults live with their parents until they marry. The average place people live in is a Western-style home, townhouse, condominium, or apartment. Kampong (village) homes have palm frond or metal roofs; they are more common in rural areas.
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TraditionsIn Batu Caves, there is a Hindu temple in which a religious festival, Thaipusam, is held in honor of Hindu deity Subramanium or Skanda. The people eat with their hands, spoons, or chopsticks. Muslims don't eat pork or drink achoholic beverages. Hindus and some Buddhists don't eat beef. Conservative Muslims don't shake hands with members of the opposite gender. When a child is born, the father rubs the baby's mouth with a white cloth to symbolize that the child should always speak the truth. A Chinese mother doesn’t wash her hair, leave her home, or see her parents for several weeks following a birth. An Indian mother doesn’t leave her home for 28 days after the birth of her child.
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LanguageBahasa Melayu (Malay) is the official language. It is closely related to ancient Sanskrit. Ethnic Chinese also speak Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.). Indians speak a variety of Indian languages (Hindu, Telugu, Tamil, etc.).
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Arts and LiteratureThere are many glass and concrete skyscrapers and a lot of Islamic architecture. The Petronas Twin Towers are one of the glass and concrete skyscrapers. There is also the 1381 foot tall Kuala Lumpur Tower. Music and dance is a fun recreation for the people. The joget is a popular dance often performed by couples at social gatherings. Batik is also popular. Batik is fabric that is printed using a process in which the areas not to be dyed are coated with hot wax.
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Religion60% of the population is muslim. One Hindu deity is Subramanium or Skanda. Lord Murugan was a Hindu deity created by Lord Siva to defeat the demon Surapadman. slam is the main religion. 19% of the population are Buddhist. Other chinese religions make up 3%. 6% is Hindu. 9% is christian.
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GovernmentMalaysia has a democracy. Their main leader is a Prime Minister. Currently, the Prime Minister is Najib Razak. They have a constitutional monarchy. Hereditary rulers (sultans) elect a king to serve a five year term. The voting age is 21.
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Economic SystemsTourism, banking, and finance is a very important part of Kuala Lumpur's economy. The peninsula's transportation system is also important. They have rail lines, major roads, and air service. Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, changed Malaysia's agriculturally- based economy to a manufacturing and technology based economy. He ruled from 1981 to 2003 making him Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister.
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Recipe for Stir Fried Noodles
Ingredients:100 g noodles
50 g lean pork, beef, or egg 50 g garlic sprouts (or cabbage or green beans) 2-3 small green peppers 1 carrot 1/2 small onion Seasonings: Chopped ginger Chopped green onion Ground chili Salt Chicken essence Cooking wine Soy sauce Tomato ketchup Cooking oil * Note: The amount of the seasonings listed above can be appropriately used according to one's personal taste. |
Preparation:
1. Clean the lean pork. Cut into thick slices that are cut into thin strips. Put into a dish.
2. Wash the green peppers. Cut into slices and put into a dish. 3. Peel and clean the onion. Chop into thin slices and put into a dish. 4. Snip the stems of the garlic sprouts. Cut it into 2-3 centimeter long sections. Put into a dish after being washed. 5. Wash and peel carrot. Cut into thin strips. Put into a dish. |
Directions:1. Coat the lean pork strips by adding in cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, and chicken essence. Stir it well until it feels a bit sticky.
2. Noodles are best cooked in a steamer. Fill the steamer pot 1/4 full of water. Grease the steamer basket with a thin layer of oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. Place the steamer basket in the pot, add noodles, and cover and steam for 2-3 minutes. Take the noodles out and put them into a bowl. Add some cooking oil and stir it well. Return noodles to steamer and steam for another 2-3 minutes. Place in a bowl. 3. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add some cooking oil, swirling it to coat sides. Add the coated lean pork strips and stir-fry until the meat turns into a pale yellow color. Add the ground chili, chopped ginger, and chopped green onion. Stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add all of the vegetables and fry. Stir for one minute. 4. Add some salt and chicken essence and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Finally, add in the steamed noodles and the tomato ketchup, and stir-fry for another minute. 5. Turn off the heat and serve the noodles on a plate. Eat the delicious food! |