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The Gawai festival or simply known as Gawai Dayak in Malaysia is a major harvesting festival of the farmers. This popular Malaysian celebration involves thanksgiving to the God and spirits for the bounty of the land. Gawai Dayak, a popular Malaysian festival is celebrated each year after a good harvest has been reaped. The rituals also involve ancestral worship, communication with the spirit world and feasting along with friends and family members.
Though celebrated each year on the 1st and 2nd of June, the Gawai festivities actually begin from the last week of May itself and continue till the middle of June. Most of the people from the longhouses start harvesting their rice fields well in advance before the big day. A small Gawai feast at their respective houses is also arranged for with the completion of the harvesting season.
Celebrated by the Iban, Bidayuh and the Orang Ulu communities in Sarawak which taken together comprise the Dayaks, Gawai Dayak is a very lively and colorful festival. While traditional rites are performed by the elders, men and women dress up in traditional costumes of the land and delectable foods and drinks are served. Along the ruai on the verandah, and bilik room in every longhouse, tuak, rice, wine and other traditional foods are served in generous quantities.
Reaching the length and breadth of Malaysia, Gawai Dayak is celebrated not only in the big cities but also in the remote and small villages of the country. One of the specialties of Gawai Dayak is that the guest is required to taste tuak and eat at each household. This translates to eating and feasting at various households throughout the day. With tribal music and dance, the mood of the festival livens up and the merriment becomes all the more sweet.
Celebrations for Gawai Dayak start a week earlier at Kuching. With colorful cultural festivals and street parades adorning the streets, Kuching transforms to a land of joy and festivities. Moreover, on the eve of the Gawai festival, at Civic Centre, a state dinner is organized where singing, dancing and beauty pageants, all are taken part of by the local tribal members. At the end of this program, one Gawai Queen is selected from each of the communities namely, Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu.
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