Chinese New Year 2011 Personalise Stamp By Pos Malaysia (ISSUES 3/02/2011)

Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration and the correct naming is hence "Asian New Year". In China it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春节 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié), owing to the difference between Western and traditional Chinese methods for computing the seasons. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: Zhēng Yuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chú Xī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year."

Source : Wikipedia 

New Year 2011 Personalise Stamp By Pos Malaysia (ISSUES 1/01/2011)

The New Year is the day that marks the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. In many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner.^[1]

The New Year of the Gregorian calendar, today in worldwide use, falls on 1 January, continuing the practice of the Roman calendar. There are numerous calendars that remain in regional use that calculate the New Year differently.

Many cities and countries across the world celebrate the New Year. The celebrations usually include a fireworks display and other festivities, as well as other traditions varying by culture and country.

The most common modern dates of celebration are listed below, ordered and grouped by their appearance relative to the conventional Western calendar.

Source : Wikipedia

Christmas Personalise Stamp By Pos Malaysia (ISSUES 25/012/2010)

Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday^[4][5][6] generally observed on December 25 (with alternative days of January 7 for many Orthodox churches, January 6 for the Armenian Apostolic Church and January 19 for the Armenians of Jerusalem and the Holy Land^[7]) to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.^[8][9]

The actual birthday of Jesus is not known, and the events of his birth are only recorded in two of the Canonical gospels. Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after Christians believe Jesus to have been conceived,^[10] the date of the Roman winter solstice,^[11] or one of various ancient winter festivals.^[10][12] Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.^[13]

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. 

^{Source : Wikipedia} 

 

Deepavali Personalise Stamp By Pos Malaysia (ISSUES 5/11/2010)

Diwali (also spelled Devali in certain regions) or Deepavali,^[1] popularly known as the "festival of lights", is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Deepavali is an official holiday in India,^[2] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore,^[3] and Fiji.

 The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps".^[4] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dīpas) in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Most Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali.

Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama, along with Sita and Lakshmana, from his fourteen-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst firecrackers.^[5]

 Source : Wikepedia

Hari Raya Aidilfitri Personalise Stamp By Pos Malaysia (ISSUES 10/09/2010)

Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr‎), often abbreviated to Eid, is a three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "conclusion of the fast"; and so the holiday celebrates the conclusion of the thirty days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal.

Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, Eid is more commonly known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Idul Fitri or Hari Raya Puasa. Hari Raya, which literally means 'Celebration Day'.

Idul Fitri is the biggest holiday in Indonesia and Brunei; and one of the biggest in Malaysia and Singapore. Shopping malls and bazaars are usually filled with people days ahead of Idul Fitri, which creates a distinctive festive atmosphere throughout the country, along with traffic mayhem. Many banks, government and private offices are closed for the duration of the Lebaran festivities.

Source : Wikipedia