Kite Festival Melaka Malaysia

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Kites are for everyone. Friendly enthusiatic people at the Melaka Kite Festival on 1 January 2009.

Kites and kite fltying are taken very seriously. It is a popular sport all over Malaysia.

A lot of time and effort goes into making and flying kites of all shapes and sizes.  Many have strong Chinese influences.

Different shapes of traditional Malay Kites or Wau.  On the right Wau Bulan.

Flying high! Colourful and imaginative kites at the Melaka Kite Festival.

Kites decorated with figures. some deoicting love and some based on war.

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Christmas 2008 in Melaka Malaysia

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The Choir of St Xaviour church, Melaka entertained the crowds at the Makota Centre Mall in the run up to Christmas.

  

  

  

  

Deepavali Festival in Melaka in Malaysia

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Dancers from Assam in India demonstrating traditional dances at the annual Melaka Deepavali Festival. This drew hundreds of participants from the strong Indian community here. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Free food for all! Mouthwatering lamb and chicken curries to sample while watching the dancing. Everyone at the festival was extremely hospitable and friendly.

Margaret chatting to a friendly stall holder selling sweet pastries and other Deepavali delicacies about a week before the festival.

Kolam is a form of design or pattern drawn by delicately pouring coloured rice flour onto a floor. It is traditionally created by female members of a Hindu family in front of their homes. Widely practiced by Hindus in South India, it is a humble and yet very sacred art of India practiced daily as a ceremonial offering. A Kolam represents a painted prayer, a line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots.  It is thought to bestow prosperity on homes. Ideally a new Kolam is created at dawn every day in a ceremonial gesture of beauty, sacrifice and gratitude. During holidays and festivals, like Deepavali, the Kolam designs become gloriously inspired. We saw this superb example in our local shopping mall.