The month of May is around the corner. Why is it so interesting? Why people in Sabah are waiting for this month? Why is it so special?
Haha... some people say, it is month of 'aramaitii'😅, means a gathering of all peoples especially the KDMR. It is called Harvest Festival or Pesta Kaamatan (harvest) which is a festival that celebrated as a thanksgiving in honour of Bambaazon(the rice spirit) for a good harvest by the Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus communities in Sabah.
What is KDMR? It represents our races here in Sabah, that is KADAZAN, DUSUN, MURUT AND RUNGUS.
There are many activities will be held for the whole month. Each district level will have their own Harvest Festival, where the highlight is Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (Miss Harvest Festival) of which, each district level will choose a representative, where they will compete during Sabah State Level on the 31st May at KDCA (KadazanDusun Cultural Association) at Penampang, Sabah. Here you can see many beautiful ladies, or we called them "sumandak" in the Kadazan language. They will not only be judged on their faces, and traditional costume they are wearing, but also their IQ and involvement in the activities during their programs.
Other than that, they also have singing competition, that they named it 'Sugandoi', where each district will have their representative to fight at the State Level too. These are also the main highlight of this occasion.
There is also ethnic traditional games competition, where it held on the 30th May. A few games that been competed are Rampanau (bamboo stilt walking), Mipulos (arm wrestling), Migayat Lukug (Tug of War) and Momolistik (catapult).
Apart from that, you can visit the cultural house from each race that has been built in the KDCA area. During the 30th and 31st May, they will have exciting events such as cultural performances, handicrafts exhibitions and traditional delicacies. You can try their food and drinks that day.
This year, the first district to start the festival is Keningau, that will held on the 1st of May 2018. So Steemian in Kota Kinabalu, let's support them, be there and let's have fun.
To All Steemian outside from Malaysia, the month of May is the best time for you to visit Sabah, where you will learn more about Sabahan and enjoy the festive season of Kaamatan.
"Explore, Learn and Enjoy"