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Kolette Lim

Malaysian tour guide Syazni Nabilah Che Kamarudin and her family have immersed themselves in this year’s Lunar New Year festivities, handing out red packets and dressing up in traditional Chinese attire.
“This year is especially meaningful for me because it is my first time giving hongbao to my Chinese friends after getting married. I’m happy to follow this beautiful custom,” the Kuala Lumpur resident said of the long-standing Chinese tradition.
“As Malay-Muslims, we enjoy the cultural festivities such as visiting friends, food, decorations and gatherings, which are similar to our culture during our festive holidays,” said Syazni, 32.
Across parts of Southeast Asia, Lunar New Year – one of the most important events in the Chinese calendar – is no longer confined to the ethnic Chinese community but increasingly shared among neighbours of different faiths and backgrounds.

Observers say the shift reflects how multicultural societies in the region are moving beyond formal coexistence towards a more reciprocal and lived experience of diversity.
The Lunar New Year is an official holiday in six Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Examples of non-Chinese families celebrating the holiday have become more visible in recent years, particularly online, where videos of Malay and Indian households exchanging red packets and engaging in other traditional rituals have circulated widely.
Sense of unity
On the first day of festivities on February 17, Singaporean content creator Abraham de Laure and some 30 family members gathered to exchange oranges and toss yusheng, a colourful raw fish salad, high into the air to symbolise prosperity.
“I find it meaningful that each ingredient in the dish carries a specific significance and that tossing it as high as possible symbolises good luck and prosperity for the year ahead,” said Abraham, who is ethnically Indian.
Celebrating Lunar New Year was an opportunity for his family to get together and appreciate the cultures of others in the city state, he said.
“As Singaporeans living in a multiracial country, celebrating different festivals is part of who we are. Learning from one another helps us connect more deeply and strengthens the sense of unity within our community,” he said.

Cross-cultural celebration has long flowed both ways. Chinese families in Malaysia and Singapore commonly visit Malay friends during Hari Raya Aidilfitri and join Indian neighbours for Deepavali, reflecting a tradition of reciprocal participation that predates social media trends.
Eugene Mark, a fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, said the Lunar New Year was a striking example of an ethnic holiday evolving into a shared cultural experience across Southeast Asia.
Institutionalised multiculturalism was often symbolised by the harmonious coexistence of diverse communities classified by homogenous categories such as Malay, Chinese and Indian, Mark said.
“However, the trajectories of Malaysia, Singapore and neighbouring nations reveal a shift from state-mandated coexistence towards a lived experience of diversity increasingly negotiated on the ground,” he said.
The growing phenomenon of intercultural celebrations may also be caused by a greater desire for interfaith harmony in the region, according to Nazry Bahrawi, an assistant professor of Southeast Asian literature and culture at the University of Washington in Seattle.


“This is certainly prevalent in Singapore, where the architecture for interfaith relations is bolstered through the recent appointments of non-Muslims on the board of the new Singapore College of Islamic Studies, for instance,” he said.
Governments may likewise be highlighting Lunar New Year celebrations as part of broader nation-building and tourism efforts, according to analysts.
“As the current world order faces the challenge brought about by US tariffs, countries in Southeast Asia may be looking to make new powerful friends, with China being a plausible choice,” said Nazry, noting that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently took part in a yusheng toss organised by the Malaysian Chinese Association.
Mark added that China’s rise as an economic powerhouse had likely encouraged governments to use multicultural festivals to promote tourism and national cohesion, such as Malaysia welcoming visitors with lion dances and huge floral installations at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.
‘Are you Chinese?’
Social media has amplified the trend, with Chinese-themed online content inspiring more families to join in Lunar New Year festivities – even as it also stirs discussion over racial boundaries and cultural appropriation.
“There are a greater number of influencers on social media who partake in the loosening of ethnic silos,” Nazry said. “Collectively, such influencers channel the intercultural zeitgeist of their generation.”
He said the growing presence of ethnic holidays in shared public spaces might also be linked to the “Chinamaxxing” trend, which has popularised Chinese wellness and lifestyle culture among non-Chinese youth.

The trend, which sees social media users sharing videos of themselves “learning to be Chinese”, has been “critiqued for potentially taking culture at face value”, according to Mark.
“[But] it also demonstrates a growing global curiosity and a move away from seeing ethnic cultures as exclusive or restricted.”
While the response from the public has been largely positive – including from Chinese communities – families say their cross-cultural celebrations have occasionally raised eyebrows.
Syazni said most people had praised her efforts to promote cultural unity in Malaysia, adding that her Chinese friends were welcoming and appreciative.
“But some people misunderstand my intentions and feel that I am ‘leaving’ my own culture, but that’s not true,” she said. “To me, celebrating different cultures is not about changing who I am. It is about appreciation, understanding and unity.”

The Lourdes family ushered in the Lunar New Year in Malaysia by lighting firecrackers – believed to ward off evil spirits – and rolling a pineapple, a symbol of fortune, into their home.
On the first day, they refrained from washing their hair, throwing away rubbish or sweeping the floor, actions that traditionally signified the removal of the new year’s incoming good luck and wealth, said Alysson Ann Lourdes, 27.
The ethnic Indian family has celebrated the holiday for about five years now, with each celebration bigger than the last.
“We live in a multicultural country, and we need to know how each festival is being celebrated. Unity in diversity,” Lourdes said.
“We used to be questioned a lot, people would ask ‘Are you Chinese?’ And we would answer, ‘No, we’re just Malaysian.’”


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People catch coins from a God of Fortune performer during a lion dance show on Lunar New Year’s eve at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

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Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’


Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.


Why Southeast Asia’s non-Chinese embrace Lunar New Year celebrations

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’