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~ Gawai Dayak ~
Festival Date - 01 & 02 JUN 12
This harvest festival, gives thanks to the
gods and spirits for the bounty of the land. With centuries of
tradition behind it, this native ritual involves communication with
the spirit world, ancestral worship and feasting with friends and
family of the whole community.
Celebrated mid year on June 1 and 2, though unofficially the
festivities begin during the last week of May and continue through
mid-June. Usually, the people of many longhouses harvest their rice
fields well before the big day and have their own small scale Gawai
feast at the end of their harvests.
Celebrated by the Dayak, which generally refers to the Iban, Bidayuh
and the Orang Ulu communities in Sarawak. The elders perform
traditional rites, everyone dresses in their traditional costumes
and there is food and drink. Tuak, rice wine, and an array of
traditional food are generously served along the ruai, veranda, and
bilik, room, in every longhouse. Widespread celebrations are held
not only in the main cities and towns but also in the interior
settlements.
Gawai is an occasion for parties, fun and games, processions and
�open houses�. At rural dwellings, especially in roadside villages
and remote villages, guests are expected to taste tuak and eat at
each household. Thus in a 30 door longhouse with a family living
behind each door, it means partaking in festivities over and over
again. Music and dancing usually follow to liven up the mood.
In
Kuching, celebrations start a week before with colourful street
parades and cultural activities. On the eve of the Gawai, a grand
state dinner is held at the Civic Centre with singing, dancing and a
beauty pageant which culminates in the crowning of several Gawai
Queens, one each for Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu communities.
Obviously, Gawai Dayak is the best and the most interesting time to
visit Sarawak as you can see and sample the lifestyle and its
festivities. All visitors are warmly received and accepted as new
friends even if they happen to be strangers. It is a happy time for
all concerned.
borneo - information - details -
regarding
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