:National symbols of Malaysia
The national symbols of Malaysia are symbols that represents the governmental and cultural images of the Federation of Malaysia. There are generally five recognised elements of the symbols which are national emblem, national anthem, national flag, national flower and national language.{{Cite journal |last=Shieakh Malik |first=Siti Nurkhalilah Liana |last2=Zainuddin |first2=Azizan |last3=Mahmood |first3=Anida |date=2024 |title=Significance of Negaraku as a National Symbol: A Review of National Identity Concept |url=http://ejournal.ukm.my/ebangi/article/view/68551/14904 |journal=e-Bangi Journal of Social Science and Humanities |volume=21 |issue=1 |doi=10.17576/ebangi.2024.2101.21}}{{Cite journal |last=Hakim |first=M.A.H.B.L. |last2=Anuar |first2=N.A.B.R. |last3=Zaid |first3=A.F.A.M. |last4=Jusoh |first4=F.S. |date=2024 |title=Trainee teachers' awareness on malaysian national symbols |url=https://conference.uis.edu.my/pasak/images/eprosiding/eng/pasak92024-008-Muhammad_Aiman_Hakim_Bin_Lokman_Hakim.pdf |journal=E-Prosiding Persidangan Antarabangsa Sains Sosial & Kemanusiaan kali ke-9 |volume=17-18 July |pages=68−75}} The first official symbols, flag and anthem were prepared in 1957. In addition, there are several traditional symbols such as national bird, national flower, national animal and national craft.{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Malaysia Information: National Flower |url=https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/content/139 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=MyGOV - The Government of Malaysia's Official Portal}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-17 |title=Malaysia National Symbols: National Animal, National Flower. |url=https://symbolhunt.com/malaysia/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Symbol Hunt |language=en-US}} There are also popularly recognised symbols including national airline, national colour, national dress, national sport, national poetry and national mausoleum.{{Cite web |last=Huân |first=Nguyễn Đắc |title=Da Nang welcomes Malaysian National Airline opening a new route to the city in 2024 - Cổng thông tin du lịch thành phố Đà Nẵng |url=https://danangfantasticity.com/en/news/da-nang-welcomes-malaysian-national-airline-opening-a-new-route-to-the-city-in-2024 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Danang Fantasticity - Da Nang City Tourism Information Portal |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Chieh |first=Yow Hong |date=2024-04-10 |title=The Evolution of the Baju Melayu, the National Dress of Malaysia and Brunei |url=https://medium.com/@sixtybolts/the-evolution-of-the-baju-melayu-the-national-dress-of-malaysia-and-brunei-d389bb03dbfd |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Medium |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Rahim |first=Rahimy |date=2014-04-27 |title=Obama pays respects at National Mausoleum |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/04/27/obama-masjid-negara/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=The Star |language=en}}
Flag
File:Flag of Malaysia.svg – Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory)]]
The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory ({{lang|ms|Jalur Gemilang}}),{{cite web |title=Malaysian Flag and Coat of Arms |url=http://mygov.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Main/MsianGov/MsianFlagAndCrest/Pages/MsianFlagAndCrest.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022191931/http://mygov.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Main/MsianGov/MsianFlagAndCrest/Pages/MsianFlagAndCrest.aspx |archive-date=22 October 2013 |access-date=7 September 2011 |publisher=myGovernment Malaysian Government's official portal}} is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities.{{cite web |title=Malaysia Flag |url=http://all.talkmalaysia.com/the-malaysian-flag/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015055303/http://all.talkmalaysia.com/the-malaysian-flag/ |archive-date=15 October 2010 |access-date=15 September 2009 |publisher=TalkMalaysia.com}} The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers,Flags Of The World [https://www.fotw.info/flags/my.html#des Malaysia: Description] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220185227/https://www.fotw.info/flags/my.html#des|date=20 December 2022}} the red stripes represent bravery and the white stripes represent purity.{{cite web |title=Flag of Malaysia |url=https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/content/138 |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=MyGOV}}{{cite web |date=2 August 2023 |title=Bendera Malaysia – Maksud Warna, Lambang, Muat Turun Gambar |url=https://ecentral.my/bendera-malaysia/ |access-date=4 September 2024 |publisher=eCentral |language=ms}}
Malaysian flag is similar in pattern to the star and stripe flag of USA which has 13 horizontal red stripes and 50 stars.{{Cite web |last=Dhaliwal |first=Shivdeep |date=2023-10-29 |title=A Peculiar Connection: Why Are US And Malaysia Flags So Similar? |url=https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/10/35481487/the-remarkable-similarity-between-american-and-malaysian-flags-it-may-be-more-than-just-a-coincidenc |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=Benzinga |language=English}} There was a row of confusion when Munir Zanial, a Muslim Malaysian aerospace engineer, hosted Malaysian Independence Day celebration and the end of Ramadan in September 2017 in Kansas. Malaysian flag was prominently displayed which onlookers believed was by Islamic terrorists. The FBI was notified which soon resolved the misunderstanding.{{Cite news |date=2018-03-21 |title=Lawsuit after Malaysian flag reported as 'IS symbol' in US |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43484681 |access-date=2024-12-21 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}
Anthem
The Malaysian national anthem is called Negaraku (literally "My Country") which was adopted at the time of the Malaya's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The tune was originally used as the state anthem of Perak, "Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan".{{cite web |date=25 August 1957 |title=Unity and progress are anthem themes |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19570825-1.2.11.aspx?q=Unity+and+progress+are+anthem+themes&mode=advanced&df=19570825&ct=article%2cadvertisement%2cillustration%2cletter%2cobituary%2cmiscellaneous&t=straitstimes&page=1&sort=relevance&token=themes%2canthem%2care%2cprogress%2cand%2cunity&sessionid=21d4908c8c614cb183a6efde238235b8 |newspaper=The Sunday Times}}
Coat of arms
File:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg
The coat of arms of Malaysia ({{lang|ms|Jata Negara Malaysia}}) comprises a shield or escutcheon, two tigers for supporters, a crescent and fourteen-pointed star for a crest and a motto. The motto of the arms, located below the shield, consists of a banner with the phrase "Unity is Strength" (Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu).{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=The Coat Of Arms Of Malaysia |url=https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/content/137 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=MyGOV - The Government of Malaysia's Official Portal}} As the coat of arms descended from that of the Federated Malay States under British colonial rule, it resembles European heraldic designs.{{cite web |title=Malaysia Coat of Arms |url=http://all.talkmalaysia.com/the-coat-of-arms-of-malaysia/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827190219/http://all.talkmalaysia.com/the-coat-of-arms-of-malaysia/ |archive-date=27 August 2009 |access-date=15 September 2009 |publisher=TalkMalaysia.com}}
Language
Malaysian Malay ({{langx|ms|Bahasa Melayu Malaysia}}) or Malaysian ({{lang|ms|Bahasa Malaysia}}){{cite book |author=Asmah Haji Omar |author-link=Asmah Haji Omar |title=Pluricentric Languages: Differing Norms in Different Nations |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter |year=1992 |isbn=3-11-012855-1 |editor1-last=Clyne |editor1-first=Michael G. |editor1-link=Michael Clyne |series=Contributions to the sociology of language 62 |location=Berlin & New York |pages=403–4 |chapter=Malay as a pluricentric language}} is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia and also used in Brunei and Singapore (as opposed to the variety used in Indonesia, which is referred to as the "Indonesian" language). It is spoken by much of the Malaysian population, although most learn a vernacular Malay dialect or another native language first. In 1957, Article 152 of Malaysia's Constitution described "Malay" (Bahasa Melayu) as the national language without any further definition.{{cite wikisource|title=Federal Constitution of Malaysia|wslink=Constitution of Malaysia}} However, the term bahasa Malaysia ({{lit|Malaysian Language}}) became more popular even in administrative contexts.{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Chun Wai |last2=Edwards |first2=Audrey |date=4 June 2007 |title=Back to Bahasa Malaysia |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2007/06/04/back-to-bahasa-malaysia/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 March 2022 |work=The Star Online |language=en}} Between 1986 and 2007, the official term Bahasa Melayu was revived as the standard name. In 2007, to recognize the multiethnicity of Malaysian, the government announced that the preferred name as bahasa Malaysia.{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Chun Wai |last2=Edwards |first2=Audrey |date=4 June 2007 |title=Back to Bahasa Malaysia |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2007/06/04/back-to-bahasa-malaysia/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 March 2022 |work=The Star Online |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2 October 2013 |title=Mahathir Regrets Govt Focussing Too Much on Bahasa |url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=86783 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712044336/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=86783 |archive-date=12 July 2014 |access-date=16 October 2013 |work=Daily Express}}{{Cite web |title=Bahasa Rasmi |url=https://www.malaysia.gov.my/portal/content/30118?language=my |access-date=19 April 2021 |website=MyGovernment |publisher=Government of Malaysia |language=ms |quote=Perkara 152 Perlembagaan Persekutuan menjelaskan bahawa bahasa Melayu yang dikenali juga sebagai bahasa Malaysia adalah bahasa rasmi yang tidak boleh dipertikai fungsi dan peranannya sebagai Bahasa Kebangsaan.}}{{Cite web |author=Encik Md. Asham bin Ahmad |date=8 August 2007 |title=Malay Language Malay Identity |url=http://www.ikim.gov.my/new-wp/index.php/2007/08/08/malay-language-malay-identity/ |access-date=19 April 2021 |website=Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia}}
Flower
File:Hibiscus rosa-sinensis2 43.jpg
In 1960, the then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj declared Hibiscus × rosa-sinensis (variously known by common names like Chinese hibiscus, China rose, shoeblack plant, or bung raya in Malay) as the national flower.{{Cite web |last=Cheah |first=Cadence |date=2018-08-31 |title=How the 'Bunga Raya' became Malaysia's national flower |url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2018/08/31/how-the-bunga-raya-became-malaysias-national-flower/1667877 |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Malay Mail}} The flower is a hybrid of two species, Hibiscus cooperi and H. kaute.{{Cite journal |last1=Braglia |first1=Luca |last2=Thomson |first2=Lex A. J. |last3=Cheek |first3=Martin |last4=Mabberley |first4=David J. |last5=Butaud |first5=Jean-François |name-list-style=amp |date=2024 |title=Pacific Species of Hibiscus sect. Lilibiscus (Malvaceae). 4. The Origin of Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis: A 300-Year-Old Mystery Solved |journal=Pacific Science |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=395–415 |doi=10.2984/77.4.3}}
References
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