MDM. IRA,

THIS IS OUR GROUP ARTICLE CHOOSEN AND ESSAY WRITING DRAFT.

1. SHERILA MALONG2. ANITA CHIA3. MARY KARL4. NGUI

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009

SELAMAT NYAMBUT HARI GAWAI

By ADMIN

Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated in Sarawak on1 June every year. It is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak: Iban, Bidayuh,Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, and Lun Bawang among others. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means "Dayak Festival". Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as "ngabang" in the Iban language. Those too far away to visit would receive greeting cards.

The mode of celebration varies from place to place. Preparation starts early. Tuak (rice wine) is brewed (at least one month before the celebration) and traditional delicacies like penganan (cakes from rice flour, sugar and coconut milk) are prepared. As the big day approaches, everyone will be busy with general cleaning and preparing food and cakes. On Gawai Eve, glutinous rice is steamed in bamboo (ngelulun pulut). In the longhouse, new mats will be laid out on the ruai (an open gallery which runs through the entire length of the longhouse). The walls of most bilik (rooms) and the ruai are decorated with Pua

Kumbu (traditional blankets). A visit to clean the graveyard is also conducted and offerings offered to the dead. After the visit it is important to bathe before entering the longhouse to ward off bad luck.

The celebration starts on the evening of 31 May. In most Iban longhouses, it starts with a ceremony called Muai Antu Rua (to cast away the spirit of greed), signifying the non-interference of the spirit of bad luck in the celebration. Two children or men each dragging a chapan (winnowing basket) will pass each family's room. Every family will throw some unwanted article into the basket. The unwanted articles will be tossed to the ground from the end of the longhouse for the spirit of bad luck.

Around 6 pm or as the sun sets, miring (offering ceremony) will take place. Before the ceremony, gendang rayah (ritual music) is performed. The Feast Chief thanks the gods for the good harvest, and asks for guidance, blessings and long life as he waves a cockerel over the offerings. He then sacrifices the cockerel and a little blood is used together with the offerings.Once the offering ceremony is done, dinner is then served at the ruai. Just before midnight, a procession up and down the ruai seven times called Ngalu Petara (welcoming the spirit gods) is performed. During this procession, a beauty pageant to choose the festival's queen and king (Kumang & Keling Gawai) is sometimes conducted. Meanwhile, drinks, traditional cakes and delicacies are served.

At midnight, the gong is beaten to call the celebrants to attention. The longhouse Chief (tuai rumah) or Festival Chief will lead everyone to drink the Ai Pengayu (normally tuak for long life) and at the same time wish each other "gayu-guru, gerai-nyamai" (long life, health and prosperity). The celebration now turns merrier and less formal. Some will dance to the traditional music played, others will sing the pantun (poems). In urban areas, Dayaks will organise gatherings at community centres or restaurants to celebrate the evening.Other activities that may follow the next few days include: cock-fighting matches, and blowpipe and ngajat competitions. On this day, 1 June, homes of the Dayaks are opened to visitors and guests.

Traditionally, when guests arrive at a longhouse, they are given the ai tiki as a welcome. From time to time, guests are served tuak. This would be called nyibur temuai which literally means "watering of guests".

Christian Dayaks normally attend a church mass service to thank God for the good harvest.Gawai Dayak celebrations may last for several days. It is also during this time of year that many Dayak weddings take place, as it is one of the rare occasions

when all the members of the community return home to their ancestral longhouse.MarGeeMar The Scribe and The Blog Team takes this opportunity to wish everyone "SELAMAT NYAMBUT HARI GAWAI".Posted by MarGeeMar at 1:40 PM Labels: Socio-political

ESSAY GAWAI DAYAK FESTIVAL

The word gawai is originated from Iban Language means ritual or festival. While

dayak means the native ethnic groups who live in Sarawak. Among the ethnic groups

are the Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit and Lun Bawang are mentioned to be

some dominated races.

The Gawai Dayak was celebrated to mark the end of the harvesting season of

the padi or rice the staple food.The traditional types of cake served during the Gawai

Dayak are the penganan, penganan jala (sarang semut) and chuan (model cake).The

traditional food that must be served are the glutinous rice steamed in bamboo (pulut

lulun), chicken bamboo steamed and tapioca shoot bamboo steamed (manuk lulun and

daun ubi lulun). While the traditional decoration is the pua kumbu (traditional blanket)

display on the wall and placed on the table as table cloth.

There is also an occasion which is called the death offering and it is usually

done a few days earlier than the Gawai Dayak. During this occasion, yard will be

cleaned and some offerings were made there. After the offering, one must bathe first

before going back home to get rid of bad luck or let them wash away by river.

Apart from that, bad luck is also cast during the early evening of the 31 May in a

ceremony called “ Muai Antu Rua”. Here the family throw unwanted articles into a

basket carried by two men who then tossed them to the ground upon reaching the end

of the long house that symbolized spirit of back luck.

Another activity done is “miring “ (offering ceremony) to thank God for the good

harvest of the outgoing year ,guidance’s blessings and long life in years to come, with

the sacrifices of a cockerel.

However, the celebrations vary from places to places and from ethnic group to

other ethnic group. But, the most common events during the celebration are Kumang

(Queen) Gawai and Keling (King) Gawai contest, Ngirup Ai Pengayu (Long Life Drink),

some traditional dancing and singing of traditional song (pantun).

On the next day, some other activities will be organized. They are ngajat

(berayah) around Memorial Statue, blow pipes competition, cock-fighting matches and

open house with the serving of traditional and modern cakes, without leaving the

traditional drink, tuak. These are some information’s on Gawai Dayak in Sarawak.