KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Indians on Thursday observed Diwali with a sense of normalcy as the annual festival of lights marked the first major celebration in more than a year without strict coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions.
The Malaysian government recently allowed domestic travel to resume and eased other virus-related preventive measures in a bid to help revive the country’s economy after figures showed more than 95 percent of its adult population had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Some of the country’s 2 million ethnic Indians will now be able to celebrate Diwali with their relatives after the disappointment of last year when a lockdown was imposed just before the start of the holiday due to a rapid spike in virus cases.
Kuala Lumpur-based marketing consultant Karavin Rajah was able to travel to his hometown of Ipoh in northwest Perak state to celebrate the festival with his extended family.
“Finally, I will get to see my uncles and aunties after more than a year. It has been so long since anyone gathered but we will still be cautious,” he told Arab News.
This year’s festivities are similar to pre-pandemic days, with shops open and houses colorfully decorated.
“There is a more exciting feel and a sense of normalcy about this year’s celebrations. There is a festive mood with most shops selling clothes, decorations, cookies, and even firecrackers,” Rajah said.
Lawyer Annjili Gunendran said she would be leaving Kuala Lumpur to visit her family in Kuantan, Pahang state but added that their celebrations would be low key as the country was still recording new infections at a rate of around 5,000 every day.
She said she would skip the Malaysian open-house custom observed by all groups during major festivals, where friends and families visited the homes of those who were celebrating to wish them well and enjoy the feast.
“We are going back but unlike previous years, where our family hosted open houses, this will just be a small affair with the closest family and friends,” Gunendran added.
Malaysia has spent a large part of this year with much of its economy shut down and was under a full lockdown between May and August. The revival of economic activity and travel has made the Indian holiday also a weekend getaway opportunity for other ethnic groups.
Halian Fadzli Shah, a Muslim lawyer living in Kuala Lumpur, said his family would be heading for Penang, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia in the country’s northwest.
“We do not observe Diwali but with the border restrictions being eased, we will use this opportunity to travel locally,” he added.
While some risk has come with lifting travel restrictions, especially during a festive season, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told Arab News that the government was “experimenting with opening up the economy more substantially.”
He said: “The government had an uneasy job balancing life and livelihood. It remains to be seen if the pandemic numbers would climb again consequently.”