From now on, all national-level open house functions for six major celebrations in Malaysia will be termed "kongsiraya", said Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheik Fadzir.

Malaysians as a whole, regardless of race or religion, share the joy of these celebrations and "kongsiraya" should not be confined to festivals that coincide, he said.

He told Bernama today that the celebrations include Chinese New Year, Gawai Dayak, Pesta Keamatan, Deepavali, Aidilfitri and Christmas.

Economical way

The upcomming open house in Kota Kinabalu for example, will be called "Kongsiraya Christmas".

"This is the most economical way of drawing tourists and investments to the country."

He said that such "kongsiraya" open houses for the celebrations can foster greater unity among races, "and make them truly one big prosperous family".