Here in Malaysia, we celebrate many different religious holidays and cultural festivals due to our multiracial and multireligious background – but are there double standards over the holidays we celebrate? Facebook user Ashley Pang recently took to the group ‘Malaysia Education Info (And Homeschooling too)’ to lament the lack of sale items for the Deepavali festive holiday at the mall near her home, which was unnamed.
Ashley wrote in her post, “Went for grocery shopping at a local mall nearby my house. Saw Christmas items on sale. But nothing for Deepavali, not even any deco. Something is not right! Our society is too commercialised! Christmas items on sale in Nov but nothing for Deepavali!”
She added that she saw Halloween decor and events planned during October but still nothing for Deepavali. For your information, Deepavali will be celebrated next week, on 12th November (Sunday). The Facebook post highlighted that shopping malls in Malaysia might not be putting enough effort into Deepavali because it’s not as marketable as Halloween or Christmas.
The post garnered all kinds of reactions from netizens. Many said this issue is nothing new because it happens every year despite being brought up to mall management countless times. However, some said that the malls they visited do have Deepavali decorations put up and have done so for years, even including photos of their most recent decorations.
It is worth noting that while the post did call out a mall for not putting effort into the holiday, many malls in Klang Valley have previously launched Deepavali campaigns completed with stunning decors, including Pavilion Bukit Bintang and Fahrenheit88 – but what do you think about Ashley’s post?
Source: Facebook
