KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 (NNN-Bernama) — New Year 2024 was ushered in moderately in Malaysia after the government decided not to hold any official celebrations as a sign of solidarity with Palestinians suffering at the hands of the Israeli regime as well as out of respect to the flood victims in several states.
Checks by Bernama in Kuala Lumpur revealed that in addition to the unofficial celebrations by private parties and companies at several locations, including The Exchange TRX and Kuala Lumpur Tower, there were also religious and spiritual programmes held at several religious institutions.
In National Mosque, almost 200 congregants participated in prayers and a zikir recitation event that began around 6.30 pm. Many Muslims were also gathered in other areas, including Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque and Putra Mosque, Putrajaya for similar events.
The Kuala Lumpur St Anthony Catholic Church also held religious activities for devotees, some whom arrived as early as 7 pm.
In the state of Terengganu, thousands ushered in the new year at the Gong Badak Indoor Stadium, in a night filled with religious programmes, including prayers, while in Penang, most mosques in the state held prayers in conjunction with New Year’s Eve, praying for the wellbeing of humanity around the world.
Similar events were also conducted in the state of Johor, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Perlis.
Over in Sarawak, ‘Let’s Celebrate Together’ was the theme of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, which showcased performances, fireworks and a countdown to the new year, while in Sabah, a 2024 New Year’s Eve Carnival was held in Tawau, and it was filled with stage performances and a fireworks show.
Up north, in the state of Kedah, people gathered in Jitra for a programme organised by the state government, while in Perak, around 10,000 visitors witnessed the launch of Visit Perak Year 2024 X Perak’s New Year’s Eve Celebration.
In Melaka, 2024 New Year’s Eve celebrations coincided with the launch of Visit Melaka Year 2024, which will feature 76 tourism events, including 30 main events, throughout the year.
— NNN-BERNAMA