Even a usually sedate and staid executive search and human capital consulting firm like JM Williams & Associates has joined in the laudation.
The company held a Hari Raya open house, and included in its out-of-this-world dinner were two "spacemen", a Malaysian Space Cuisine spread, and a chef singing Fly Me To The Moon.
The guests included the firm's clients, business partners, friends, staff members and their families and several local celebrities.
The event was aptly themed "Hari Raya in Space" and was held at Restoran Rebung, the restaurant owned by Chef Ismail Ahmad and angkasawan Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.
The Malaysian Space Cuisine spread, prepared by chef Ismail, featured dishes taken by Musza-phar during his trip to the Inter-national Space Station (ISS), including rendang tok, satay, nasi impit, ginger jelly and kuih bangkit.
According to JM Williams & Associates partner Ben Tee, the Hari Raya open house is an annual affair and each year a different theme is used.
"This year marks the second time we're having it at Restaurant Rebung. Our open houses are usually intimate, cosy affairs because we believe in business in partnership, and our guests can mingle better in this type of setting," Tee said.
"Today's event is special because we're celebrating Hari Raya with our clients and business partners, and the theme reflects how proud we are of Malaysia's angkasawan's success," he said.
"Dr Muszaphar took 10 dishes to the ISS. It certainly was an opportunity for him to share our local culture and food in space with his fellow cosmonauts," chef Ismail said.
The highlight of the evening was a phone interview with Muszaphar, who was unable to attend the event, as he had to attend to some family matters.
He fielded questions that ranged from how much water he drank a day at the ISS, the type of food he ate and what the stars looked like to his best experience in space, future plans and how his perspective has changed.
"Of the dishes I took to the ISS, my favourite was the rendang tok. I felt like I was at home when I ate it. I also liked the banana roast and dried mango, which weren't too sweet," he said. "It was like Hari Raya in space. I was very excited to share my food with my fellow cosmonauts. They liked the satay, but thought it was too spicy."
Muszaphar also described the view of Earth from space as breathtaking and magical.
"My trip has changed my perspective on life. I'm not bothered with the small details, but bigger causes like pollution on Earth, which could be seen from space. We should save planet Earth," he said.
"My future plans would be to reach out to all the people, especially those in rural areas, to encourage them to have interest in science and engineering," the 35-year-old Muszaphar said.
"My job now is to inspire the younger generation, to create more doctors, scientists, engineers and even angkasawan," he said.
"I've been dreaming since I was 10 to become an angkasawan. I will tell any child who wants to become an angkasawan that if I can realise my dream, he or she, too, can achieve it. If you believe in yourself, you can do it," he said.