Deepa-Raya Open House and Cultural Tourism Evening

The Embassy of Malaysia hosted the ‘Deepa-Raya’ & Cultural Tourism Evening Open House in co-operation with the Finland-Malaysia Association on the 17^th October 2009. The name ‘Deepa-Raya’ comes from the joint celebration of ‘Eid ul Fitr’ and ‘Deepavali’, both widely celebrated in Malaysia. ‘Eid ul Fitr’, also known as ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri’ in Malaysia, marks the end of the ‘Ramadan’ fasting month and is celebrated by Muslims all over the world. Deepavali is mainly celebrated by Indians.

The festive event was attended by roughly 180 Malaysians and Friends of Malaysia. It was celebrated with great joy and various Malaysian delicacies prepared by PERWAKILAN (The Ladies Association of the Embassy of Malaysia) and the Ladies from the Finland-Malaysia Association were served during the event.

The event started off with welcome remarks by H.E. Cheah Choong Kit, Ambassador of Malaysia to Finland, in his capacity as the host. Subsequently, the Chairman of the Finland-Malaysia Association made his welcome speech to the audience. The guests were then entertained by a performance by the CantoSur Quartet and a fashion show featuring traditional Malaysian costumes. A lucky draw was also held towards the end of the event.

In a nutshell, the afternoon was spent in a very friendly and entertaining atmosphere. The ultimate goal of the host was to delight and bring the guests together under the spirit of 1Malaysia. The multi-cultural nature of this open house celebration reaffirms the tagline of “Malaysia Truly Asia”

Participants of the fashion show featuring Malaysian traditional costumes

Malaysian Delicacies

The previous Presidents of the Finland-Malaysia Association

Tourism brochures

Ambassador Cheah Choong Kit officiated the cake cutting ceremony