Selamat Hari Merdeka, Malaysia!

On 31st August every year, Malaysians celebrate Hari Merdeka, or Independence Day.

In 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared the country's independence from the British, and the cries Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! became synonymous with the annual celebration.

But I'm only 2 and a half, so this is what I like most about merdeka - the flags!

Now let's learn a little more about the Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malaysia 

• It comprises a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton (top left quarter of the flag) 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 government.
• The 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities.
• The crescent represents Islam, the country's official religion.
• The blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people.
• The yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malaysian rulers.
• The Malayan flag was designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old architect working for the Public Works Department (JKR) in Johor Bahru, Johor.
• Following the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963, the design of the Malayan flag was modified to reflect and honour the new states in the federation.

If ever any TV reporter were to shove a mic at me and ask for the meaning of merdeka, I would probably reply, in my confused spattering of English and Malay, that Merdeka means: 

• No school tomorrow, yeay! 
• I get to wear baju kurung to kindy today, yeay! 
• I get to visit the other kindy and have a Merdeka party, yeay! 
• I get to hold flags all day, yeay! 

Happy 55th Merdeka, Malaysia!