The water-dousing symbolises purification before the start of fasting and penance. It was a wet day at the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir here as hundreds of residents and visitors took part in the traditional water splashing festival.

Everyone “armed” themselves with water pistols, pails of water, water hoses and water balloons. Revellers drenched each other.

The water festival traces its roots all the way back to 1511 during the arrival of the Portuguese to Malacca. The “Intrudu”  festival is a centuries-old celebration, unique to the Portuguese community in Malaysia. This water-dousing rite symbolizes purification before the start of fasting and penance. The “Intrudu” tradition portrays the importance of water  and reminds the Portuguese community of the time where fishing was the prime livelihood of their forefathers.

This unique traditional celebration is observed on the Sunday preceding Ash Wednesday – the starting of the forty-day Lent period before Easter in April, a time of prayer and fasting to remember Christ’s death.

“Pincha Agu” is what they called in the Portuguese Kristang language. When everybody walks along the road they will be splash with the water. The ceremony then continued until afternoon and all the villagers will take part. At the evening, the village will be served with a parade called “Branyo Rudia” that decorated with song and dance “Jingling Nona“. This “Intrudu” Festival is celebrated according to their Catholic Calendar.

The same day in the evening, there will be a community football match between the Portuguese married men and the bachelors at the settlement field. This is not an ordinary match but a fancy football match where you will see men wearing women costumes playing football.

As the saying goes – early bird catches the worm. So your best way to escape the jam is to get into Malacca town early, probably around eight or nine in the morning. And travelling early also let you get strategic parking spots easily. You can park your car right in the heart of the world heritage city.

When you do park in the city, please be reminded that the parking spaces are not free. The state government maintains a parking coupon system for the boxed parking spaces. The parking coupons are mainly sold in half an hour and hourly rate. It will cost you RM 0.40 for half an hour while the one hour will cost you RM 0.60. Normally, the parking coupon agents are fairly easy to locate and you can buy the booklet containing ten coupons costing RM 4.00 for half-an hour and RM6.00 for an hour.

Alternatively, you can also opt to buy a daily parking coupon which will cost you RM 5.00 per piece if you are planning to park at the public parking lot for more than eight hours. All the parking coupon also enable you to park at any area in town – only the district under the Majlis Bandaraya Melaka Bersejarah (MBMB) and Perbadanan Hang Tuah Jaya (PHTJ).

My advice – always pay a little bit more to avoid being slapped with parking summons. The municipal officers are very efficient in giving out summons.

Lastly, you can also get a per-entry parking for less than RM5.00.

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has entered into a three-way agreement with Malacca Health Department and a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), who called themselves Malacca Federation of Smoke-free NGOs, to conduct research on the implementation of five areas in Malacca as smoke-free zones. The five smoke-free areas are the 4.2 km square World Heritage City, Taman Melaka Raya, the Malacca International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh as well as the Alor Gajah and Jasin town centres.

The research will focus on assessing the efficiency of the implementation of smoke-free zones in Malacca. Malacca had been chosen for the implementation due to the strong support from the Malacca State Government. Anyone caught smoking in any of the smoke-free zones is liable to be fined RM300. The maximum penalty is RM5,000.

Click here to read more about a smoke-free state on The Star Online.

Besides bullock cart, trishaw or known as “beca” in Malay, is also a popular mode of transport in Melaka during the olden times. The trishaw hood used to made out of canvas and can easily be opened or closed when necessary. The seat is made from coconut husk and is complete with a backrest. However in the modern days, most of the trishaws are well decorated with flowers, flags and personal collectibles.

The trishaw ride is available for hire at the Stadthuys Complex, in front of Christ Church. Each trishaw can carry up to two adult passengers and one or two children (depending on their size).

Location

Address: Jalan Gereja, 75000 Melaka
GPS Coordinate: N 2.19432, E 102.249498

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Standard Rate

A trishaw ride is available at a standard rate of RM40.00. However, do negotiate with the trishaw rider before you decided to take a ride.

Contact Details

For any feedback/complaint please contact the Melaka Historical City Council at 06-232 6411 or SMS your complaints to 39888.

According to the Tourism Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, JPO has far surpassed its expected tourist arrivals. Since its inception in December, JPO has managed to attract more than one million visitors, with majority of them being domestic tourists.

Besides Malacca, another Premium Outlets will be opened in Sepang.

Click here to visit the Star Online to read more.

Guests were entertained by 12 dragon and lion dance troops from Melaka. There were also Chinese cultural dances and acrobatic performances by the acrobats from Mainland China.

Click here to read more on New Straits Times Online.

Strengthening the role of the DOSH safety and welfare of employees.

Date: March 2012
Venue: Hospital Jasin
Organizer: Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Melaka
Tel : 06-2345959
Fax : 06-2345958

4th Malaysia Debate Open

The competition has brought Malaysia the finest and most interesting event the academic debating arena has to offer. This tournament offered a unique opportunity for school and varsity students as well as general public to observe the highly competitive debates.

Date: 2 – 6 March 2012
Venue: Multimedia University Melaka Campus
Organizer: Voices Melaka Debating Society, Multimedia University
Tel : 06-2523401 (Mr. Thilagan A/L Rajendran)
Fax : 06-2317619

Malaysia GP Sale

Fantastic bargains and discounts are awaiting shoppers in this nationwide sale carnival. Held to complement the hottest race in the country, the sale offers unbeatable offers and sizzling hot deals on everything from fashion, electronics, accessories and many more.

Date: March – April 2012
Venue: Throughout Malaysia
Organizer: Shopping Malaysia Secretariat, Tourism Malaysia
Tel : 03-26158188
Fax : 03-26922953

Celebration of Masi Magam

Celebration during the Full Moon of the month of Masi and Wedding of Lord Murugiah.

Date: 7 March 2012
Venue: Temple Cheng
Organizer: Melaka Chitty Cultural Organization
Tel : 012-6015111

Heritage Explorance

Competition based on heritage and history to introduce and increase the country loving spirit among Malaccans.

Date: 31 March 2012
Venue: TBA
Organizer: Perbadanan Muzium Melaka (PERZIM)
Tel : 06-2814226
Fax : 06-2826745

Raptor Watch Week 2012

This eco tourism event organized annually by Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) is to welcome the return of the migratory birds of preycraptors back to their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere in countries such as Japan, Russia and China.

Date: 10 – 11 March 2012
Venue: Tanjung Tuan / Ilham Resort
Organizer: Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
Tel : 03-22879422
Fax : 03-22878773

Kolattam is an ancient folk dance. Kolattam is usually performed for ten days, beginning with the Amavasi or new moon night after Deepavali. This ancient folk dance is performed by women only, with two sticks held in each hand, beaten to make a rhythmic sound. You can catch the video on Kolattam dance here:

Another type of kolattam is known as Pinnal Kolattam, which is danced with ropes. Here, the women hold the ropes in their hands, and the other end are tied to a tall pole. With planned steps, the women skip over each other, which forms intricate lace-like patterns in the ropes. The lace-like patterns looked extremely attractive when coloured ropes are used.

Melaka-based Krishna Balaram Indian Arts and the Cultural Society of Malacca will be organising this event. Non-Indians are also invited to take part in the folk dance troupes.

Click here to read more about Kolattam in Melaka on The Star Online.

“Yee sang“ also known as Prosperity Toss in English, and Yu Sheng in Mandarin, and Lo Hei in Cantonese. “Yee sang” is a Teochew-style raw fish salad, usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments. “Yee sang” is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. It is widely believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diner’s growth in fortunes, hence it is common to see enthusiastic “yee sang” toss on the table.

This “yee sang“ will be going to make its mark in the Malaysia Book of Records for the longest “yee sang”. This record breaking event is jointly organised by Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd and Bukit Baru MCA.

Click here to read more on Record Toss Yee Sang on the Star Online.