Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Celebrate with the Dayak

COME celebrate the Gawai Dayak festival, or the harvest festival, and be enlightened on Dayak culture.

This major festival of Sarawakians on June 1 celebrates the end of a successful harvest, hence its name.

To encourage more tourists to get acquainted with the Land of the Hornbills, Tourism Malaysia Sarawak Office, Sarawak Tourism Board, Sarawak Convention Bureau and Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) have teamed up to develop three innovative Gawai Special Packages of 2D/1N, 3D/2N and 4D/3N tours to offer a variety of experiences. These special tours are priced at RM399, RM499 and RM599 respectively.

Tourists who buy such packages will have an opportunity to stay at either the Bidayuh, Iban or Orang Ulu longhouse at the SCV for a deeper insight into the three major ethnic communities’ cultures and traditions.

These programmes are for the duration of the Gawai festival and are on sale now. The tours will be on from May 18-June 30.

The activities include jungle trekking at the foothills of Mount Santubong, cooking Sarawakian dishes, folk song and dance lessons and visiting a variety of ethnic houses at the SCV. Mt Santubong is a 810m “single rise” mountain situated on the Damai peninsula about 35km north of Kuching, some 45 minutes away by car.

Night tours from 10pm-3am can also be bought by curious tourists to witness the unique ceremony of miring. This is an interesting ceremony involving offerings of special food items and a cockerel to bring about good luck or ward off evil, on special events and occasions.

The Gawai Special Packages were recently launched by Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit together with Assistant Sarawak Tourism and Heritage Minister and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation chairman Datuk Talip Zulpilip at the White Rajah Cafe, Kuala Lumpur, a restaurant specialising in Sarawak cuisine.

Gawai Dayak

THE Gawai Dayak festival is a harvest and social festival celebrated every June 1 in Sarawak. Gawai means ritual or festival and Dayak is a collective name for the tribes of Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Murut and some 20 more.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Celebrate with the Dayak
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