The beauty of multicultural marriage

Multicultural marriages aren’t really the norm in Malaysia, at least not if you walk around in the streets. Growing up though, I never noticed it, mainly because my family and cousins were mainly products of multicultural marriages. My family designation was “Lain-Lain” with our status being “pra-bumiputra.” In layman’s terms, this meant that we weren’t really part of the trinity of main races in Malaysia: we were neither Malay, Chinese nor Indian. It also meant that we were considered to be part of the people who had been here a long time: “bumiputra” means sons of the soils and the “pra” in our status indicated that we enjoyed some of the privileges of being a bumiputra (but not all).

For a child, the biggest beauty of a multicultural marriage is the many holidays they’ll get to celebrate. My mother was a Hokkien Chinese, while my father was a Portugese Eurasian, so that meant we celebrated Chinese New Year and Christmas. The best part was that we never really had to worry about pleasing both sides of the family during the holidays because each had their own special holidays.

Then there was all the presents: We’d get money during Chinese New Year and presents during Christmas. Shopping for new clothes was easy as the holidays were close to one another, so one shopping spree could take care of a few festivals, which suited me just fine. There was also a wide variety of food to try and enjoy; my family never knew want for lack of food. Unlike other places, we’d never worry about running out of restaurants to try: We could always eat Malay when it was Chinese New Year, Indian food during Hari Raya and Chinese during Deepavali.

The best thing about it though, is that you grow up colour blind. I never really thought about race until I entered college. Before, race was simply something that ensured your placement in classes. I was proud to have friends of many different colours and beliefs. It’s always fun to debate and talk about matters close to the heart with friends who understand, even though they may not be the same race as you.

My best friends are Bangladeshi, Chinese and Indians. My boyfriend, whom I hope to marry, is a Muslim. My cousins are a mix of various races, just as I am. The only differences we have, are religious rather than race. We may worship different Gods, but we believe in the same thing.

Don’t tell my mom though: She thinks everyone should be in a religion.