The Mak Yong Ceremony in Malaysia - A Traditional Cultural Heritage Safeguarded in the Muslim Country

Abstract

By using ethnological monography and available documentation, this paper presents the Mak Yong ceremony - a traditional Malay ritual involving witchcraft and magic dances that were traditionally performed to treat diseases and to provide the lords entertainment. Nowadays Malaysia is a Muslim country, but the Malay people still preserve this ceremony as part of their cultural heritage. All Malay people, including the Muslim Malay, Chinese-Malay and Indian-Malay people, take pride on the Mak Yong ceremony and consider this ceremony as a valuable part of their cultural heritage.