Saris, sweets and shopping sprees: Deepavali buzz builds across Malaysia

As Deepavali approaches on November 8, Malaysia's Indian community is gearing up for the Festival of Lights with a festive atmosphere building across the nation. Survey results show shopping hotspots are filling up with customers purchasing traditional attire, sweets, and home decorations for the occasion. In Kuala Lumpur's Little India area, traders are seeing increased footfall despite recent unpredictable weather affecting sales.

In Selangor, the Little India area in Klang has seen visitors from various ethnic communities, including those shopping for Indian attire and saris as gifts. Ipoh's traders are looking forward to a surge in customer numbers over the weekend. Negeri Sembilan is expecting around 30,000 visitors to its Deepavali Bazaar in Little India Seremban, featuring 140 traders and local performances.

In Johor, shoppers are making early purchases for traditional attire, decorations, and sweets. Penang is also abuzz with festive excitement, with business premises adorned and offering special sales. In Perlis, vendor V. Malarvizhi anticipates a rise in customer response a week before Deepavali. In Pahang, Dr S. Bavani begins preparations by buying traditional attire and preparing sweets, while in Kelantan, the Hindu community in Kuala Krai and Tanah Merah maintains traditional practices like preparing delicacies and cleaning homes.