Hari Merdeka
Next: August 31, 2027
Seven shouts, one new nation.
The story
Where it comes from
Hari Merdeka, officially Hari Kebangsaan (National Day), marks 31 August 1957, when the Federation of Malaya became independent. At 9.30 that morning, before more than 20,000 people at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, the first Prime Minister, read the Proclamation of Independence. Then he called out 'Merdeka', 'independence', seven times, and the crowd answered each one. The call to prayer followed, the new flag was raised to the national anthem, Negaraku, and 101 guns were fired in salute.
How it's celebrated
August is the national month, and Malaysians are encouraged to fly the Jalur Gemilang throughout it, so flags appear on homes, offices, shops and cars well before the day. On the night of 30 August crowds count down to midnight, and on the morning itself a parade of marching contingents, floats and flypasts is held, watched in person and on television. Many families simply spend the public holiday together.
Did you know
- Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day are different birthdays: 31 August marks Malaya's independence in 1957, while 16 September marks the forming of Malaysia with Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963.
- The flag had eleven stripes in 1957 and gained three more in 1963, but it was only named the Jalur Gemilang, 'Stripes of Glory', at 11.58 pm on 31 August 1997.
- The original Proclamation is kept at the National Archives of Malaysia in two versions, one in English and one in Malay written in Jawi script.
The greeting
Selamat Hari Merdeka
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