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Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history. More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own.
Malaysia is a multi-cultural society. The main ethnic groups are the native Malays as well as large populations of Chinese and Indians. When visiting the country it is clear that the ethnicities retain their religions, customs and way of life. The most important festivals of each group are public holidays.
While growing up, children are educated in the same schools and will eventually work in the same offices, few marry outside their own ethnicity. Families tend to socialise within their own ethnic group - all part of retaining their individual traditions and lifestyles.
Greetings in a social context will depend upon the ethnicity of the person you are meeting. In general, most Malays are aware of Western ways so the handshake is normal.
 Malay women may not shake hands with men. Women can of course shake hands with women. Men may also not shake hands with women and may bow instead while placing their hand on their heart.
On the other hand, Chinese's handshake is light and may be rather prolonged. Men and women may shake hands, although a woman must extend her hand first. Many older Chinese lower their eyes during the greeting as a sign of respect.
Lastly, Indians shake hand with members of the same sex. When being introduced to someone of the opposite sex, nodding the head and smiling is usually sufficient.
The Malay language is an Austronesian language spoken not only by Malaysians but all Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Central Eastern Sumatra, the Riau Island, parts of the coast of Borneo, Cocos and Christmas Islands in Australia. Malay is also very similar to Indonesian, known as Bahasa Indonesia.
In Malaysia, the language is officially known as Bahasa Malaysia, which translates as the "Malaysian language." The term, which was introduced by the National Language Act 1967, was predominant until the 1990s, when most academics and government officials reverted to "Bahasa Melayu", which is used in the Malay version of the Federal Constitution.
 The family is considered the centre of the social structure. As a result there is a great emphasis on unity, loyalty and respect for the elderly. The family is the place where the individual can be guaranteed both emotional and financial support. When one member of the family suffers a financial setback, the rest of the family will contribute what they can to help out. Families tend to be extended, although in the larger cities this will naturally differ.
The Malay are Malaysia's largest ethnic group. They are accounted for over half of the population and the national language. With the oldest indigenous people they form a group called Bumiputera, which translates as "sons" or "princess of the soil".
Many Malays do not have surnames. Instead, men add their father's name to their own name with the term "bin" (meaning "son of") while women use the term "binti".
Chinese population accounted around 35 per cent of the population. Traditionally they have three names. The surname is first and is followed by two personal names. Many Chinese nowadays adopt more Western names and may ask you to use that instead.
 Most Chinese are Tao Buddhist and retain strong ties to their ancestral homeland.
Indians had been visiting Malaysia for over 2,000 years but didn't settle en masse until the 19th century. Most came from South India, fleeing a poor economy. Today ten per cent of Malaysian is Indian.
Many Indians do not use surnames. Instead they place the initial of their father's name while women use "d/o" to refer themselves as "the daughter of their father".
The oldest inhabitants of Malaysia are its tribal people. They account for about 5 per cent of the total population and represent a majority in Sarawak and Sabah. Though Malaysia's tribal people prefer to be categorised by their individual tribes, peninsular Malaysia blankets them under the term "Orang Asli", meaning original population.
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FROM THE DESK
We have been hosting students for about 4 years now. We really enjoy having students from different cultural backgrounds and it gives us an opportunity to learn about their customs and traditions. I have also learnt to cook many yummy dishes and I really enjoy it. I personally believe that our cooking helps the students to enjoy their stay with us. We are also a very warm family and we welcome everyone who comes into our home.
This is the feedback from a student who is currently staying with us " the most important issue as a student is to feel accepted in a warm and friendly manner, to live in a relaxed environment where people take an interest in our wellbeing and integrate our social and cultural differences. It is also important to deliver a menu which has an international flavour, yummy and plenty of food are favourable."
Our second student, Chihori who stayed with us for eight months and now lives in South Japan, travelled by plane to meet us in Nagoya with her eleven month old baby. She stayed with us for four days. Mizuka, another student from North Japan also stayed with us for two days. Yugo, our fourth student, is a Medical practitioner also came to visit us in Tokyo. Our fifth student, Junko, who currently lives in Australia, also stayed on with us for another two weeks "as friends".
