National Day will be celebrated next week, Aug 31. It is a special day that reminds us about Malaysia’s independence in 1957.
On that day, the Jalur Gemilang can be seen flying proudly at homes, schools and buildings. Many people wear clothes in the colours of the Malaysian flag – red, white, blue and yellow.
Malaysia is a country with people from many different backgrounds. Malay, Chinese, Indian and the many communities in Sabah and Sarawak all have their own traditions, languages and food. Although we may look different or celebrate different festivals, we live, learn and play together.
National Day is also a time to think about the meaning of unity. Unity means standing together, helping one another and respecting our differences. Even small acts of kindness can help bring people closer.
How do you celebrate National Day? Perhaps you wave the Jalur Gemilang, watch the parade with your family or take part in activities at school. You may also sing patriotic songs and learn more about Malaysia’s history.
We received good response from Starchild readers on the topic, National Day. We will publish the second batch of letters next week.
“Malaysia’s National Day is on Aug 31. On this special day, we celebrate Malaysia’s independence and remember the people who helped our country become free. Malaysia has many different cultures, traditions, foods and beautiful places.
“Our national animal is the Malayan tiger. Our national flower is the red hibiscus. Kuala Lumpur has many famous landmarks such as the KLCC Twin Towers and Menara Merdeka Maybank. There are also beautiful historical places such as Jonker Street in Melaka. Malaysia is famous for its delicious food. Some popular ones are nasi lemak, satay, roti canai, cendol and char koay teow. I am proud of Malaysia because people from different cultures live together and share their traditions. We should respect one another and take care of our country,” says Abhiraami Elavarasan, 12
Nur Ameera Khairul Nizam, 12, says: “Selamat Hari Kebangsaan to all Malaysians! I hope everyone celebrates this special day with their family and friends. Let’s always be kind, help one another and live together in peace.”
“I love my country Malaysia. It’s peaceful with many exotic animals, fruits, local delicacies and beautiful landscape. I hope Malaysia will continue to prosper and become a great nation in the future,” says Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, 11.
“Malaysia is a peaceful and beautiful country. I enjoy eating satay and visiting Kuala Lumpur,” says eight-year-old Sham Kok Ren.
“I love Malaysia because the food is delicious. I like eating chicken rice and visiting the beach,” says Tee Xin, seven.
Ho Shin Hong, 10, says Malaysia is a beautiful country where every state has something special. “My hometown is in Perak, which is famous for its beautiful mountains, caves and old towns. One famous place is Ipoh, where we can visit beautiful limestone caves. Perak is also known for delicious food such as Ipoh white coffee and chicken rice. I am proud of my hometown and I love Malaysia because every state has its own special culture and places.”
ITEM: The Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival will be celebrated on Sept 25. It is a time for colourful lanterns and bright moonlight. Now it’s your turn to get creative! Design your very own dream lantern and tell us all about it.
Think about these questions: What shape is your lantern? What colours does it have? Does your lantern have a special meaning or story?
Email your contributions to lifestyle@thestar.com.my by Sept 18. Please put “STARCHILD: My secret garden” in the subject line of your email.
Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200dpi. Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact and address. Instead of handwritten letters, please type out your letters.
Starchild: National day drawings
Sham Jing Yu, 12
Abhiraami Elavarasan, 12
Bethany Wang Qi Syuen,11
Tee Xin, 7
Nur Ameera Khairul Nizam, 12
