Selamat Sejahtera, Selamat Hari Merdeka, dan Selamat Hari Malaysia!

This 31st August is Malaysia's Independence Day!

On this day, 61 years ago, the Federation of Malaya gained its independence from our evil colonial overlords in what we call Merdeka Day! And 16 days and 6 years later, Malaya managed to influence 3 other colonial puppets to join the Federation and form the country of Malaysia! A day we celebrate as Malaysia Day on 16th September!

And even though we have gone through a lot of strife and international conflict and political turmoil, Malaysia has never forgotten its history and its roots in the small rural Kampungs which dot the Malaysian countryside and are home to traditional houses from ages past. So to celebrate Southeast Asia's Best Democracy™ (and this is probably the first time this is said non-sarcastically), we take a trip down memory lane with some animated polaroids of Malaysian history which showcase our triumphs and our culture.

This years theme therefore is remembrance, so grab a Durian Hat (patent pending), take a cross-legged seat on a traditional tikar in a traditional wooden house, and help us sift through the story of Malaysia in 8 photos (left to right) and a postcard (bottom):

• The history of Malaysia is of being the descendant of the great Maritime Malaccan Empire which fell to the Portuguese which fell to the Dutch which fell to the British which fell to the Japanese which fell to the Americans British and which then formed Malaysia after deciding to not be colonised anymore. Still, jealous countries loom in Malaysia's future, but despite that Malaysia prevails exactly 61 years on.

• This polaroid shows us Kuala Lumpur, the muddy mining settlement transformed in a few short years to an economic powerhouse and the home of the one-time tallest towers in the world.

• And of course, the people who built Malaysia, the three main races and all the native races with the main thing which brings us all together: Our love of glorious Malaysian food, a fusion of Malay, Indian, Chinese, Native and everything in between.

• We cannot forget in this next polaroid the evils of the Japanese army who ravaged Malaya during WW2. Our elderly still remember. And we also cannot forget how many years later they returned bearing gifts such as handheld gaming, Pokemon, and anime, all enjoyed by the Malaysian youth. Truly a complicated relationship and a point of conflict every trip to your grandparents' house.

• The most iconic scene in Malaysian history is in this polaroid. On 31st August 1957, Malaysia's Bapa Kemerdekaan, Tunku Abdul Rahman, at Merdeka square loudly declared for all Malaysians to hear the words "Merdeka!" 7 times with the Malaysian flag hoisted high above.

• Despite independence, not all was okay in the world. The evil communist threat loomed and Malaysia remained in a protracted war state of emergency with the communists until 1989, thanks to the assistance of Commonwealth troops. We are proud to say we did much better than Vietnam at least and other neighbouring countries.

• Speaking of neighbours, let us not forget the eternal rivalry between Malaysia and Indonesia, two wayward brothers who once saw peace in potential unity and who now bicker over who owns what food and songs. And let us also not forget the Konfrontasi started by Indonesia to prevent Malaysia from being formed but who lost after a few embarrassing defeats and an internal coup d'état. Good job!

• We also see in our last polaroid the joining of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia. And let us not forget the third of the three that was kicked out about 2 years later.

• And if you scroll all the way down, you'll see a postcard tribute to one of Malaysia's most prolific cartoonists, Datuk Lat, who drew the famous Kampung Boy comics about Malaysian life.

On the more practical side of things, the sidebar features the Malaysian Coat of Arms and the sidebar text wholly translated in Bahasa Melayu, the original Bahasa Indonesia. See also a delightful snippet of Malaysian rural life by opening the two wooden doors.

In order to get the full experience of Merdeka and Malaysia Day, please indulge in some patriotic songs!

• Negaraku (My Country) - National Anthem of Malaysia
• Inilah Barisan Kita (This is our Front) / Perajurit Tanah Air (Soldiers of the Homeland)
• Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory)
• Keranamu Malaysia (Because of you Malaysia)
• Tanggal 31 (On the 31st)

The team consisted of

• /u/putih_tulang
• /u/Barskie
• /u/Castrumnovum
• /u/FloweryBlue
• /u/javacode

Thank you guys, it was great working together with you!

And now put on your durian hat, have a seat on the tikar, and join in the reminiscing!

To shout on a background of traditional Songket, simply add two hashes in front of your text like so

##Selamat Hari Merdeka

Selamat Hari Merdeka!