It’s said that the grass is always greener on the other side. However, when we are thousands of miles away from home, with none of the familiar smells or sounds around us, our Malaysian identity somehow becomes louder.
“We are more Malaysian than Malaysians,” said a fellow Malaysian – a Sabahan whom I met at the MetroSarong event in Marseille.The description seems apt for those of us in France who gathered in different parts of the country during the recent Malaysia Day celebrations to celebrate our shared national identity in a happily ‘sarong’ way.
With just some 3,000 of us here for work, study, family or other reasons – crossing paths in this country 1.7 times bigger than Malaysia can somehow feel like winning a small lottery.
Unlike Malaysia, where the South China Sea divides Peninsular Malaysia in the west, from Sarawak and Sabah in the east (with remote areas further isolated by rainforests), it is possible to travel within metropolitan France by land.
So that’s exactly what many of us did – travel hours across regions, some wearing sarongs on the train or metro, just to show or say “je t’aime” (I love you) to our homeland.
For this story, I talked to the presidents and organisers of three Malaysian associations across France – in Paris, Lyon and Marseille – asking how they celebrated Malaysia Day 2026, what makes us Malaysian, and finally, the last ‘real’ question.
Malaysia Parade in Central France @ Lyon
The Malaysia Day celebration in Lyon was definitely an exciting one, full of fun twists. As I was writing this, the group was deciding who was going to wear the ‘Puteri Gunung Ledang’ costume.
The Malaysia Day celebration was held in conjunction with the Fêtes des Bannières du Monde (World Banners and Flags Festival), an annual event organised by the City of Lyon in France, where Malaysian delegates joined some 30 other countries to showcase our culture in a grand flag-flying parade, exhibition booth, and of course, our favourite Malaysian food.
I first met President of the Malaysians Association in Lyon (MALYON) Jeyanthy Ganapathy during a Hari Raya gathering in Lyon, while I was doing a summer French course in France’s gastronomic city.
Fondly referred to as “Mama Jeya” by fellow Malaysians here, she has been organising Malaysia meet-ups even before the association was officially formed, and has helmed the association for eight consecutive years.
The group, with many newcomers as well as doctors, cancer researchers and students from Malaysia, also joined Fêtes Consulaires 2026 (Consular Festivals), with a potluck menu featuring everything Malaysian.
“Yes, we are very ‘Malaysian’ abroad. We are waiting for it – the events and gatherings – to be with Malaysians.” After more than a decade in France, the moment she spots something Malaysian on social media, she still can’t help but check it out.
The one tradition that she most wanted to keep alive while living in France: to ‘berkampung’ or practise the kampung spirit of togetherness.
MALYON delegates at the Malaysian booth showcasing Malaysia during the World Flag Flying Festival 2026 in Lyon, France.
MetroSarong in the South of France @ Marseille
Anne Ravera is the engineer and founder of the Malaysian association in the south of France – Malaysians in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (MyPACA) – which was set up in 2025.
Having lived in France for 13 years and celebrated numerous Hari Merdeka celebrations, this year was her second Hari Malaysia celebration in France and the first one she organised herself.
She connected with the Malaysian community living in the south of France, including some 20 Malaysia engineering students studying in Aix-en-Provence (another city one hour from Marseille), for a #MetroSarong event in France’s second largest city.
I joined them for lunch at the Parc du 26e Centenaire in Marseille, after they took the metro wearing their best sarongs and happily explained to French passers-by about our country.
“I like the lifestyle here (in France), but I am still Malaysian inside. And it’s important to show my kids who we are. They may be half Malaysians living in France but this will always be who we are; we are Malaysians,” Anne told me.
The Malaysian tradition that she most wanted to keep alive in France: Hari Raya and Kaamatan celebrations!
While savouring what I could only describe as the best Malaysian food – spicy sambal ayam and goreng pedas, ayam masak kurma and kek batik – prepared by Anne and the students, one of them shared with me some of the difficulties of studying in France. For someone who had placed second in his university or engineering school, one of his biggest challenges turned out to be the language barrier.
Grand Malaysian Day Celebration in the north of France @ Paris
The Malaysia Day celebration 2026 was a special one for Sorensau Lau, president of the Malaysian Association of France (MAF) in Paris. Having spent three Malaysia Days in France, with this year being her first wearing the hat as MAF president – she and fellow MAF members were invited to join the official celebration hosted by the Malaysian Embassy in France.
A group of MAF members, dressed in traditional Malaysian attire, joined the official celebration on 18 September alongside officials from Malaysia. They are also planning a MetroSarong event – wearing sarongs on the metro – at the end of the month.
“When I’m with fellow Malaysians, singing ‘Negaraku’, it makes me feel proud to be a Malaysian.”
We knew each other as fellow Kuchingites living in France through the ‘Malaysian in France” Facebook group. But it was only years later that we met in person, in Kuching, during our trip home.
Growing up in the same Cat City – a city of more than 600,000 people today – Kuching can sometimes feel remarkably small as we discovered that we not only had many things in common but even common friends. In contrast, the geography here in France might make it hard for fellow Sarawakians to cross paths with each other… but that shared sense of identity is never far away.
The one thing from home she wants most to keep while living in France? Speaking Malay!
Singing Negaraku in Paris
For Malaysian Ambassador to France, Datuk Eldeen Husaini Mohd Hashim, Malaysia Day is more than a celebration – it is also about maintaining a sense of connection among Malaysians living abroad.
“I want to make sure that all Malaysians living in France remember a place called home, our beautiful, great homeland – Malaysia,” said Eldeen Husaini.
The official Malaysia Day celebration in Paris this year was a grand one, with Malaysian artists performing dances and songs alongside a textile showcase for hundreds of guests.
Like the presidents of the Malaysian associations I spoke to, Eldeen Husaini observed that Malaysians are often more patriotic when they are outside Malaysia. We become closer when we are far from our country.
As he told me about the numerous events he has hosted – including cosy monthly “Teh Tarik” gatherings with fellow Malaysians, free of formality – he seemed genuinely touched that something as simple as speaking BM or savouring nasi lemak could mean so much to those far from home.
All Malaysians are welcome to join events held by the Malaysian Embassy, “because we are family,” he said.
I’ve made plans to join him for a marathon in Paris next year, carrying the Malaysian flag.
The very Malaysian tradition he’d most like to keep alive in France: kunjung-mengunjung – the custom of visiting one another’s homes during festive seasons.
How old is Malaysia?
My last question was a simple one: how old is Malaysia?
Eldeen Husaini was quick to respond, launching into the history of Merdeka and Malaysia Day – a story he’s clearly told many times to his non-Malaysian counterparts. While Merdeka marks the Federation of Malaya’s independence, Malaysia Day marks the formation of the country as we know it today.
Some of my interviewees needed a moment to count, but none forgot the year: 1963, when Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah (then North Borneo), and Singapore (which left in 1965) came together to form Malaysia.
So, what makes you Malaysian? Joining #MetroSarong, or any Malaysia Day celebration around the world?
It’s probably not the maths of counting how old we are, but the shared identity we carry wherever we go. We are not just Chinese, Indian, Malay, Kadazan, Sarawakian, or Sabahan – we are all Bangsa Malaysia.
Happy Malaysia Day!