Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated in Sarawak on 1 June every year. The celebration usually starts on the evening of 31 May with a ceremony called Muai Antu Rua to cast away the spirit of greed. Two children or men each dragging a chapan (winnowing basket) will pass each family's room and each family will throw some unwanted article into the basket for the spirit of bad luck.
Around 6 pm, miring (offering ceremony) will take place.The Feast Chief will thank the gods for the good harvest, ask for guidance, blessings and long life as he waves a cockerel over the offerings and the cockerel will then be sacrificed and a little cockeral blood is also used together with the offerings. Dinner is then served at the ruai and just before midnight, a procession up and down the ruai seven times called Ngalu Petara (welcoming the spirit gods) is performed.At midnight, the gong is beaten and the celebration will get merrier.The longhouse Chief (tuai rumah) or Festival Chief will lead everyone to drink the Ai Pengayu (tuak) for long life) and everyone will wish each other gayu-guru, gerai-nyamai (long life, health and prosperity). There will be dancing till the wee wee morning especially for the young ones.
At the longhouse in Julau where put a night, the occupants were of various faiths. Not everyone embraced Christianity as I suppose and I therefore got to witness both the animistic miring ceremony as well as a special prayer session to thank Jesus Christ by those who professed the Christian religion. Then, of course, everyone was so friendly. Besides having dinner with our hosts, we got to visit the othe families and have a sip or two of tuak, and if you would allow it, the host would not mind if you finished the entire barrel of drink and g0t drunk as a result. At night, some women also started to play some traditional music using gongs and several people were enticed to perform a traditional dance. I suppose I missed the midnight Ngalu Petara ceremony since I was in the bilik when I heard this rumbling sound and when I appeared at the ruai later, there seemed to be a party on and young people were dancing to the tune of modern music blasted out of a modern music making machine....
A prayer session to thank Jesus Christ...
Making traditional music...
A traditional dance...
Guests in the bilik...
Dancing into the wee morning...
Traveling Tip: Dance with the locals!
Around 6 pm, miring (offering ceremony) will take place.The Feast Chief will thank the gods for the good harvest, ask for guidance, blessings and long life as he waves a cockerel over the offerings and the cockerel will then be sacrificed and a little cockeral blood is also used together with the offerings. Dinner is then served at the ruai and just before midnight, a procession up and down the ruai seven times called Ngalu Petara (welcoming the spirit gods) is performed.At midnight, the gong is beaten and the celebration will get merrier.The longhouse Chief (tuai rumah) or Festival Chief will lead everyone to drink the Ai Pengayu (tuak) for long life) and everyone will wish each other gayu-guru, gerai-nyamai (long life, health and prosperity). There will be dancing till the wee wee morning especially for the young ones.
At the longhouse in Julau where put a night, the occupants were of various faiths. Not everyone embraced Christianity as I suppose and I therefore got to witness both the animistic miring ceremony as well as a special prayer session to thank Jesus Christ by those who professed the Christian religion. Then, of course, everyone was so friendly. Besides having dinner with our hosts, we got to visit the othe families and have a sip or two of tuak, and if you would allow it, the host would not mind if you finished the entire barrel of drink and g0t drunk as a result. At night, some women also started to play some traditional music using gongs and several people were enticed to perform a traditional dance. I suppose I missed the midnight Ngalu Petara ceremony since I was in the bilik when I heard this rumbling sound and when I appeared at the ruai later, there seemed to be a party on and young people were dancing to the tune of modern music blasted out of a modern music making machine....
A prayer session to thank Jesus Christ...
Making traditional music...
A traditional dance...
Guests in the bilik...
Dancing into the wee morning...
Traveling Tip: Dance with the locals!
Comments