I will remember this year’s Malaysia Day for a long time to come, all thanks to an unexpected family durian feast at a temporary fruit stall opposite Hong San Si Temple near Wayang Street in Kuching.
Malaysia Day, observed annually on September 16, commemorates the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak came together to form the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore was also one of the founding members but left the federation in 1965.
For Sarawak, the day holds particular significance as the state joined the federation on September 16, 1963, making the date closely connected to its history and its relationship with Malaysia.
This year, Kuching hosted the national-level Malaysia Day celebration at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), which drew about 5,000 people. The event was moved indoors because of the haze.
Sarawakians celebrated Malaysia Day 2026 with a strong emphasis on unity, cultural diversity and Sarawak’s role in the Malaysian federation.
The celebration began with Segulai Sejalai, an Iban expression meaning “moving in step together”, followed by the national and Sarawak anthems.
A symbolic cutting of pulut kuning, the signing of the Malaysia Day Special Book, the raising of the Jalur Gemilang and the recitation of the Rukun Negara were also part of the main ceremony.
I did not join the crowd at the BCCK. Instead, I was busy enjoying the Malaysia Day holiday with my family.
My niece, Ah Hong, had flown in from Singapore earlier that morning, making the occasion even more special.
She had to attend her former St Teresa’s schoolmate’s wedding dinner that evening before returning to Singapore, where she was working, the following day.
My son, Tzen, picked Ah Hong up from Kuching International Airport before picking me up from my house. With him in the car were his two young sons, Raidon and Kenji, and his wife, Amelia.
Raidon was especially happy because he did not have to go to school that morning and, more importantly, because his favourite aunt, Ah Hong, was with him.
Our first stop was a famous noodle stall in Sekama, where we had ‘kolo mee’ (a famous traditional dry noodle dish from Sarawak), ‘wantan’ (a traditional Chinese dumpling made with a thin wheat flour wrapper and filled with seasoned minced meat or seafood) and mixed pork soup.
After that, we headed to Gambier Street. Ah Hong wanted to buy a gold ornament for her sister-in-law in Singapore.
While Ah Hong was in the shop and the others waited outside, I decided to explore some of the shops along Gambier Street.
I had not visited this part of Kuching for a long time.
I spotted a Malay stall outside a coffeeshop selling ‘apam balik’, a popular Malaysian sweet pancake filled with ingredients such as peanuts, as well as ‘penganan’, a traditional sweet, disc-shaped fried cake, and ‘cucur pisang’, or banana fritters.
I could not resist buying some of these delicacies for myself and my daughter-in-law.
Our next stop was a Kek Lapis Sarawak shop at the Main Bazaar.
Kek Lapis Sarawak is a colourful, multi-layered cake commonly found in Kuching. It is particularly distinctive for its bright colours and intricate geometric patterns. The thin layers are baked one at a time and assembled to create designs such as stripes, diamonds and other patterns.
In Kuching, it is commonly sold along the Main Bazaar and around the Kuching Waterfront.
While Tzen was looking for a Kek Lapis shop and a parking space nearby, he had to go around a traffic light a few times.
That was when he spotted the durian stall opposite Hong San Si Temple near Wayang Street.
After Ah Hong had bought several pieces of Kek Lapis for her friends in Singapore, Tzen asked whether she would like to have some durians.
Ah Hong loves durians and, of course, she said, “Yes”.
My six-year-old grandson, Raidon, said, “No.”
Looking at how he savoured the durians afterwards, I thought he had spoken a little too soon.
By then, it was raining heavily. Tzen managed to find a parking space next to the building where the durian stall was located.
I glanced at my handphone. It was noon.
Because of the pouring rain, we got out of the car one by one and took shelter under a big black umbrella held by Tzen. One by one, we made our way to the stall.
Raidon and I were the first to arrive.
I noticed two big durians already on a table. I learnt later that Tzen had asked the stall owner to pick two good ones for us.
There were also plenty of chairs around the table. The stall owner had even prepared two large bins for the durian shells and seeds, as well as plastic gloves for us.
The stall owner later told me that the sweet, creamy durians were local varieties supplied by Ibans living in Serian.
Besides the two big durians on the table, we also ate another smaller one.
That Malaysia Day family durian feast was the first I had enjoyed with my son, daughter-in-law, grandsons and Ah Hong.
What makes a roadside durian feast so memorable?
It is not merely about the fruit. It is about sharing it with people we love — sitting together, getting our fingers messy and enjoying the simple pleasure of eating durian fresh from the stall.
I have had durian feasts with my nephew Ah Kiong and his family, as well as with my nephew Ah Lai and his family.
These are the kinds of memories that are hard to forget.
After our Malaysia Day durian feast, Tzen took us to a Chinese restaurant at TT3 Commercial Centre, where we had rice, crispy pork intestines, hot-plate lamb, pork and chive dumplings and beef noodles.
By then, the rain had stopped.
After the late lunch, my son dropped me off at my residence. I bade Ah Hong goodbye after she handed me the gifts her mother (my younger sister, Ah Lan) had bought for me. Ah Hong spent the night at a relative’s house because Tzen and Amelia had to leave home early the next morning for work.
As for me, I spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping.
It had been an eventful and interesting Malaysia Day — one that I will remember not because I attended the national celebration, but because I spent it with family, sharing good food, laughter and, most importantly, a memorable feast of durians.
Sometimes, the simplest celebrations make the best memories.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
