Public holidays in Malaysia

In Johor and Kedah, a public holiday that falls on Friday is replaced by Sunday or the next working day, while in Kelantan and Terengganu, a public holiday that falls on Saturday is replaced by Sunday or the next working day.

Starting 1 January 2025, the weekend holiday for Johor changed from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday,[3] after ten years of enforcement since 2014.

Additionally, the second day of Hari Raya Qurban is gazetted as a state holiday in Kedah and Perlis.

Section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951 gives the Prime Minister power to declare any day a public holiday in the whole of Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, or in one of the federal territories, or in one of the states after consultation with the relevant state government.

The provisions on compensation for work done on paid holidays are identical to the Employment Act 1955.

The main holy days of each major religion are public holidays, taking place on either the western calendar or religious ones.

This, as well as Labour Day (1 May), the King's birthday (First Monday of June) and some other festivals are major national public holidays.

New Year's Day is also observed as a public holiday in all Malaysian states, except for Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu.

It is generally a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan will the fasting month.

Chinese New Year is the most prominent, lasting for 15-days and ending with Chap Goh Mei (十五暝).

Other Indian and Indochinese communities observe their new year celebrations at around the same time, such as Pohela Boishakh of the Bengalis and Songkran (water festival) of the Thais.

[40] Wesak (Malay for Vesak), the Buddhist festival commemorating Buddha's birth, is a public holiday.

The harvest festivals of Gawai in Sarawak and Kaamatan in Sabah are also important for East Malaysians.

[42] A practice known as "open house" (rumah terbuka) is common during the festivities, especially during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Chinese New Year and Christmas.

This practice is commonly known as balik kampung and usually causes traffic jams on most highways in the country.