Malaysian folk religion

Malaysian folk religion refers to the animistic and polytheistic beliefs and practices that are still held by many in the Islamic-majority country of Malaysia.

However, some have recently converted to mainstream religions due to state-sponsored Muslim dawah or evangelism by Christian missionaries.

Similarly in East Malaysia, folk religion was widespread prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries from Europe.

[2] In Sabah there are still followers of the indigenous religion Momolianism: the Kadazan-Dusuns worshipped Kinoingan, a rice deity, and celebrate Kaamatan, the harvest festival, every year.

However, the practice has sometimes been viewed negatively by Malaysian society as in some instances bomohs have the power to cast spells (jampi) and have used them on other people with ill effects.

They also act as a medium to communicate with spirits and play an important role in the rituals involved during Kaamatan, a harvest festival celebration of the Kadazan-Dusun.

Recently there has been suggestions for the need and importance to preserve the practice of bomohs and other shamans as traditional healers and to complement or substitute conventional modern medicine.

[3][6] Tua Pek Kong (Chinese: 大伯公; pinyin: Dàbó Gōng, Hakka: Thai phak koong, Hokkien: Tuā-peh-kong, Malay: Topekong.

Na Tuk Kong are local guardian spirits worshipped in Malaysia, Singapore and parts of Indonesia, especially Sumatra.

Today most of the Chinese population in Malaysia adhere to Mahayana Buddhism, while the rest are Theravada Buddhists, Confucians, Taoists and a small number of Christians, Muslims and Hindus.