Sunday, June 01, 2008

Kaamatan festival launches in Sabah


KOTA KINABALU: The overcast skies over the city cleared just in time for the state level Kaamatan celebrations to start.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi joined Sabah Yang Di-Pertua Negri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah to enjoy the festivities by performing the traditional harvesting of seven padi stalks to launch the event.

Sabah's cultural diversity was then put on display with cultural performances such as the sumazau, magunatip, igal igal, adai adai and mogigol.

This was followed by the magavau or the traditional thanksgiving ceremony for a bountiful harvest, which wasperformed by a group of bobohizan or Kadazandusun traditional priestesses.

The thousands who thronged the festival applauded when a mini-musical of the Huminodun legend – the story of how the Creator God Kinoingan sacrificed his only daughter by transforming her body parts into padi plants so that the human race had food – was staged.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Kaamatan festival launches in Sabah

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