In the Bidayuh community, one of the more unique elements of Gawai Dayak is the role of the high priestess. Responsible for preserving the well-being of the rice spirit and conducting rituals that will ensure a bountiful harvest for the next year, the high priestess oversees every aspect of the rituals leading to the final days of Gawai. The whole community are also well aware that performing the rituals incorrectly would mean a failure to appease the spirits, leading to the potential destruction of the rice crops.
A demanding role to play, the high priestess is expected to perform seven rituals, the first six of which involves rituals that ensures the well-being of the rice crops through each and every stage of its growth, while the final ritual is the actual Gawai celebration itself. Unfortunately, these rituals are dying. To be a high priestess means you will have to be chosen by the spirit realm.
With a majority of the community now embracing either Christianity or Islam, this practice is being put aside and may soon be forgotten. A dance for the ages As the more distinct component of Gawai, the ngajat dance consists of graceful and precise movements of the body, hands and feet. For the Bidayuh community, the more notable ngajat is the tolak bala , a dance performed before the harvest to ask for blessings and protection of the community. Another ngajat worth mentioning is the langi julang, performed at the closing of the festival to thank the gods for bestowing good health and for the harvest to the community.
Curtain call Though the 1 st and 2 nd of June is officially designated as Hari Gawai in Sarawak, the celebration usually lasts a month. Photo taken at Kampung Bunan Gega. Indeed, the Gawai festivities is steeped in symbolism. For the Dayaks of Sarawak, these elaborate tenets of rites and rituals are much more as it helps foster positive values and preserves communal harmony. With so many different tribes in the State, they have each developed their own way of celebrating the festival so it is important to acknowledge that the festivities described here may be part of the Gawai celebrations, and it may not reflect the rituals and beliefs of every ethnic community in Sarawak.
Though the festival traces its roots back to , the British government refused to recognize Dayak Day until It was on September 25, , that the festival was formally gazetted as a public holiday. It was first celebrated on June 01, , and since then, continued the same way.
Hari Gawai will be celebrated on 1st June. Hari Gawai is a public holiday in Malaysia. The ceremony is held to cast away the spirit of greediness and bad luck in the celebrations. The family members throw their unwanted stuff into the basket, which is then tossed to the ground from the longhouse end for the spirit of bad luck. At around 6 pm, the offering ceremony of miring takes place with Gendang Rayah music performed beforehand.
The feast chief sacrifices a cockerel and thanks the gods for a good harvest. The chief also asks for guidance and the long life of the community. Afterward, dinner is served to everyone. At midnight, a gong is sounded, and the Tuai Rumah leads everyone to drink Ai Pengayu tuak for a long life. A procession called Ngalu Petara is held, walking up and down the entire longhouse to welcome the spirits.
Dances and traditional music are performed, and some people recite poetry as well. Women Ngajat dance revolves around hip and graceful arm movements. The intensity of the dance is heightened by the thumping accompaniment of the bebendai gongs , dedumba traditional drums , and punctuations of war cries. Village elders preparing the offerings for Miring. Preparations for Gawai Dayak begins on the eve, when people set out to gather ingredients for the big feast.
The ceremony starts with Muai Antu Rua , a procession where villagers discard unwanted items into a basket carried by two people along each room in the longhouse. This was believed to dispel bad omens and to cast away unwanted spirits. The festivities proceed with a blessing and thanksgiving ceremony called Miring.
Here, villagers place offerings usually food around the longhouse to appease ancestors and deities. A cockerel is then sacrificed and is waved over the offering. An exhibition of the Miring celebration at Muzium Sarawak. Finally, to usher in the arrival of Gawai Dayak , the tuai rumah longhouse chief will lead villagers in drinking the ai pengayu tuak of longevity to signal the start of the celebrations. After days of boisterous reunions, feasting, dancing, and praying, Hari Gawai officially ends with the procession of Ngiling Tikai.
This is the ceremony where the mats used to entertain guests in longhouses are rolled up and kept until the following year, where once again the proud Dayak bloodline will come out in full throngs to throw another jubilant celebration of culture and heritage.
Selamat Hari Gawai to all of you celebrating! The festivals may be quieter this year but the spirit of the celebration lives on! You must be logged in to post a comment. Go Local Share this.
A thanksgiving harvest A Dayak lady dressed in traditional costumes in preparation for Hari Gawai Celebrations Source: TimeOut The origins of Hari Gawai stems from ancient practices that mark the end of the harvest season, where sustenance of rice is bountiful and sufficient to nourish villagers for the season.
Source: New Straits Times It was only on 25 September when Hari Gawai was officially gazetted — and observed for the first time a year later — that it became an official national celebration. A drink to that!
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