Saris, sweets and shopping sprees: Deepavali buzz builds across Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The festive atmosphere ahead of Deepavali on November 8 is becoming more vibrant as the Indian community nationwide begins making preparations for the Festival of Lights, including purchasing traditional attire, preparing special delicacies and decorating their homes to celebrate the occasion with family and relatives.

Bernama’s survey in several states found that shopping hotspots are beginning to draw crowds purchasing festive essentials, while traders are offering a wide selection of goods and special promotions to attract customers.

In KUALA LUMPUR , traders in Little India, Brickfields, are hoping for an increase in visitors this weekend, although the recent unpredictable weather has somewhat affected sales.

Shoe and accessories trader Vishan Daren, 30, said the rain had resulted in fewer customers, but visitor numbers have started to pick up today and are expected to increase further on Saturday and Sunday.

In SELANGOR , a survey at Little India, Klang, found that Deepavali preparations had also attracted people from various ethnic communities, including Nadia Dastghill, 44, who was shopping for traditional Indian attire for her child’s school celebration and a sari as a gift for the teacher.

Another visitor, N. Rama Rao, 38, said Little India remains his family’s preferred shopping destination as it offers a wide selection of traditional attire at reasonable prices.

In NEGERI SEMBILAN , about 30,000 visitors are expected to throng the Deepavali Bazaar at Jalan Datuk Lee Fong Yee, popularly known as Little India Seremban, throughout its 10-day operation, which began yesterday.

Negeri Sembilan Indian Community Affairs special officer Datuk VS Mogan said the bazaar features 140 traders offering a variety of festive goods, as well as performances by local artistes, including Santesh Kumar, to enliven the atmosphere.

In JOHOR , members of the public have begun making early preparations by visiting the Deepavali Bazaar along Jalan Ungku Puan in Johor Bahru to purchase traditional attire, decorative flowers, accessories, as well as various sweets and snacks.

Homemaker K. Kalaivani, 40, from Pasir Gudang, said she chose to shop a week in advance to avoid the last-minute crowds.

Meanwhile, traditional snack trader Renuka, 34, said customer response has been encouraging so far, with tarts, suji and murukku among the most sought-after festive delicacies.

In PENANG , the festive excitement ahead of Deepavali is evident, with business premises adorned with colourful decorations and offering special sales and discounts on selected items.

VKN Sivasamy & Son director Aditya Tandian said customer response is almost on par with last year’s, with some visitors coming from Sungai Petani, Kulim, Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur, while about 10 to 15 per cent of customers made their purchases online.

In PERLIS , V. Malarvizhi, 56, a vendor selling festive goods in Pauh, Arau, said customer response remains slow but is expected to pick up about a week before Deepavali, as people begin shopping for clothes, religious items and traditional delicacies.

Malarvizhi, who has been in the business for more than 10 years, said most customers typically made their purchases in the final week before the festival, while she would make her own preparations three to four days before Deepavali.

In PAHANG , Dr S. Bavani, 43, from Kuantan, said her family’s preparations begin with purchasing traditional attire such as saris and kurtas , as well as preparing traditional delicacies, including murukku and sweets, to serve guests.

The mother of two said cleaning and decorating the house with oil lamps and colourful ornaments are also part of the preparations to create a festive atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in KELANTAN , the Hindu community in Kuala Krai and Tanah Merah is making modest preparations while maintaining traditions such as preparing festive delicacies, cleaning their homes and strengthening family and neighbourhood ties.

Single mother of seven, R. Parvathy, 68, from Kuala Krai, said her children helped purchase traditional attire and other festive necessities, while she prepared murukku to be shared with family members and neighbours.

Another Tanah Merah resident, S. Chandrakala, 40, said preparing traditional delicacies such as murukku and laddu with family members not only added to the festive cheer but also ensured that the heritage continued to be preserved by younger generations. — Bernama

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吉隆坡，10月30日讯——随着11月8日屠妖节的临近，全国各地的印度社群开始为这个灯节做准备，包括购买传统服饰、准备特色美食和装饰房屋，与家人和亲戚一起庆祝节日，节日气氛也愈发浓厚。

马新社在多个州进行的调查发现，购物热点地区开始吸引大量人群购买节日必需品，而商家则提供各种各样的商品和特别促销活动来吸引顾客。

吉隆坡小印度和砖厂区的商户们希望本周末游客数量能够增加，尽管最近变幻莫测的天气在一定程度上影响了销售。

30岁的鞋类及配饰商贩维山·达伦表示，下雨导致顾客减少，但今天客流量开始回升，预计周六和周日还会进一步增加。

在雪兰莪州巴生小印度进行的一项调查发现，屠妖节的准备工作也吸引了来自各个族群的人们，其中包括 44 岁的 Nadia Dastghill，她正在为孩子的学校庆祝活动购买传统的印度服装，并购买一件纱丽作为送给老师的礼物。

另一位游客，38 岁的 N. Rama Rao 表示，小印度仍然是他家人最喜欢的购物目的地，因为那里以合理的价格提供各种各样的传统服饰。

在森美兰州，预计在为期 10 天的屠妖节市集期间（该市集位于 Jalan Datuk Lee Fong Yee，俗称芙蓉小印度），将吸引约 3 万名游客前来参观。市集于昨日开幕。

森美兰州印度社区事务特别官员拿督VS Mogan表示，集市上有140家商户提供各种节日商品，还有包括Santesh Kumar在内的当地艺术家进行表演，以活跃气氛。

在柔佛州，民众已开始提前准备，前往新山翁姑潘路的屠妖节市集购买传统服饰、装饰花卉、饰品以及各种糖果和小吃。

来自巴西古当的40岁家庭主妇K. Kalaivani表示，她选择提前一周购物，以避开最后一刻的人潮。

与此同时，34岁的传统小吃商贩雷努卡表示，到目前为止，顾客的反应令人鼓舞，其中馅饼、苏吉和穆鲁库是最受欢迎的节日美食。

在槟城，屠妖节前的节日气氛十分浓厚，商家纷纷用五彩缤纷的装饰品装点店铺，并对部分商品提供特价促销和折扣。

VKN Sivasamy & Son 的董事 Aditya Tandian 表示，顾客的反应几乎与去年持平，一些顾客来自双溪大年、居林、怡保和吉隆坡，而约有 10% 至 15% 的顾客在网上购买了商品。

在玻璃市，56 岁的 V. Malarvizhi 在 Arau 的 Pauh 售卖节日商品，他表示顾客的反应仍然缓慢，但预计在屠妖节前一周左右会有所好转，因为人们会开始购买衣服、宗教用品和传统美食。

从事这行超过 10 年的 Malarvizhi 说，大多数顾客通常会在节日前的最后一周购买商品，而她自己则会在排灯节前三到四天开始准备。

来自关丹的彭亨州43岁的S. Bavani博士说，她家的准备工作从购买纱丽和库尔塔等传统服装开始，同时还会准备穆鲁库和糖果等传统美食来招待客人。

这位有两个孩子的母亲说，打扫房子、用油灯和色彩鲜艳的装饰品装点房屋也是营造节日气氛的准备工作的一部分。

与此同时，在吉兰丹州，瓜拉吉赖和丹那美拉的印度教社区正在进行一些简单的准备工作，同时保持着一些传统，例如准备节日美食、打扫房屋以及加强家庭和邻里关系。

来自瓜拉吉赖的68岁单身母亲R. Parvathy育有七个孩子，她说她的孩子们帮忙购买了传统服饰和其他节日必需品，而她则准备了murukku（一种印度小吃）与家人和邻居分享。

另一位丹那美拉居民，40岁的S·钱德拉卡拉表示，与家人一起制作穆鲁库和拉杜等传统美食，不仅增添了节日气氛，也确保了年轻一代能够继续传承这些文化遗产。——马新社

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