Events (Norfazelin Bakar,1101108092)

EVENTS

In this part i will be discussing on the various event hat take place in Sarawak through out the year

Image source : Google

Details source : http://www.tourism.gov.my/

Steeped in traditional animistic beliefs and influences of world religions and its rich cultural heritage, the colourful ethnic tribes in this Land of the Hornbill celebrates a potpourri of events and festivals throughout the year. However, a feature common to all festivals in Sarawak is the open house tradition, where friends, relatives and strangers drop by homes and are welcomed with all the special food and drink appropriate to the event.

PESTA BENAK CARNIVAL.

Tidal bore, or locally known as benak, occurs everyday with different wavelengths and heights. However, during spring tide, normally on the third and eighteen day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, tidal bores with high magnitude can be observed clearly. The benak continues its journey another 30KM inland, ending near the small village of Engkilili.

The ‘Pesta Benak’ is to promote harmony among local community and to introduce Sri Aman town through tourism.The tidal bore phenomenon in Malaysia can only be seen at Batang Lupar, Batang Sadong, Batang Samarahan and Batang Saribas in Sarawak.

HARI RAYA HAJI.

Celebrated by the Muslims on the tenth day of the last month of the Muslim calendar. This is an occasion celebrated marking the conclusion of the annual Haj - the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, when the pilgrims are given the title of Haji for men and Hajjah for women. Thanksgiving prayers are offered in the mosques. An animal is sacrificed whose meat was distributed among the relatives and the poor.

It is also an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims around the world observe this event.

RAINFOREST MUSIC FESTIVAL.

It is one of the worlds most unique festival that brings together on the same stage renowned world musicians from around the world and indigenous musicians from the interiors of Borneo. This incredible show that has been running for over 10 years has attracted many music lovers from the world over to the Land of the Hornbills. A much sought after event by many, bookings have to be done in advanced as those who come here on the last minute will find themselves without lodging and end up camping in the area of Damai.

The music festival site also sets up a variety of food and drink stalls, an arts and crafts area as well as a counter for festival memorabilia, Sarawak souvenirs and CDs by the performing artists. Not your regular Woodstock but the experience of a festival in the middle of a rainforest is something definitely worth attending in this part of the world. 

Program

With a line-up of 21 bands playing a diverse range of world genres, the festival is featuring 7 different acts per night over 3 nights not including some of the special shows on the last day. Explore the Cultural Village to find the various performances for the three days.

Workshops

Workshops at the Rainforest Music Festival include afternoon informative sessions, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts throughout the many unique ethnic homes at the cultural village, followed by evening performances on the main stage area.

Food and Village Mart

The Food and Village Mart is filled with interesting local Sarawakian foods, crafts, interesting souvenir items and international food and drinks. Not forgetting the famous Heineken Beer which is one of the main sponsors here. More than 30 stalls will be available throughout the cultural village.

RWMF Store

You can be assured that the Rainforest World Music Festival store will be filled with RWMF merchandise. Available are souvenir t-shirts or your favourite artist CD which you can even get signed from the various artist during the workshops.  

Once you are at the Cultural Village, you will have the best opportunity to experience the lifestyle, culture and heritage of the local ethnic tribes found throughout Sarawak which are;

• Iban People
• Penan Tribe
• Bidayuh People
• Melanau People
• Orang Ulu of Sarawak

MOONCAKE FESTIVAL.

Moon Cake Festival: A Mid-Autumn Festival (Chung Chiu), the third major festival of the Chinese calendar, is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month. This festival corresponds to harvest festival s observed by Western cultures (in Hong Kong, it is held in conjunction with the annual Lantern Festival).

Contrary to what most people believe, this festival probably has less to do with harvest festivities than with the philosophically minded chinese of old. The union of man's spirit with nature in order to achieve perfect harmony was the fundamental canon of Taoism, so much so that contemplation of nature was a way of life.


This festival is also known as the Moon Cake Festival because a special kind of sweet cake (yueh ping)prepared in the shape of the moon and filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds and duck eggs is served as a traditional Chung Chiu delicacy. Nobody actually knows when the custom of eating moon cake of celebrate the Moon Festival began, but one relief traces its origin to the 14th century. At the time, China was in revolt against the Mongols. Chu Yuen-chang, and his senior deputy, Liu Po-wen, discussed battle plan and developes a secret moon cake strategy to take a certain walled city held by the Mongol enemy. Liu dressed up as a Taoist priest and entered the besieged city bearing moon cake. He distributed these to the city's populace. When the time for the year's Chung Chiu festival arrived, people opened their cakes and found hidden messages advising them to coordinate their uprising with the troops outside. Thus, the emperor-to-be ingeniously took the city and his throne. Moon cake of course, became even more famous. Whether this sweet Chinese version of ancient Europe's "Trojan Horse" story is true, no one really known.

The moon plays a significant part of this festival. In Hong Kong, any open space or mountain top is crowded with people trying to get a glimpse of this season's auspicious full moon.

First lady on the moon: It is generally conceded that Neil Armstrong , the American astronaut, was the first man on moon ( he made that historic landing in 1969). But that's not necessarily the truth to Chinese, who believe that the first people on the moon was a beautiful woman who lived during the Hsia dynasty (2205-1766BC)

This somewhat complicated moon-landing story goes like this: A woman , Chang-O, was married to the great General Hou-Yi of the Imperial Guard. General Hou was a skilled archer. One day, at the behest of the emperor, he shot down eight of nine suns that had mysteriously appeared in the heaven that morning. His marksmanship was richly rewarded by the emperor and he became very famous. However, the people feared that these suns would appear again to torture them and dry up the planet, so they prayed to the Goddess of Heaven (Wang Mu) to make General Hou immortal so that he could always defend the emperor, his progeny and the country. Their wish was granted and General Hou was given a Pill of Immortality.

Another version of this story notes that Chang-O, the wife of the Divine Archer, shot down nine of ten suns plaguing the world and received the Herb of Immortality as a reward.

Whoever the hero was, Chang-O grabbed the pill (or the herb) and fled to the moon. In some versions it is uncertain whether she ever actually got there, because Chinese operas always portray her as still dancing-flying toward the moon.

When Chang-O reached the moon, she found a tree under which there was a friendly hare. Because the air on the moon is cold, she began coughing and the Immortality Pill came out of her throat. She thought it would be good to pound the pill into small pieces and scatter them on Earth so that everyone could be immortal. So she ordered the hare to pound the pill, built a palace for herself and remained on the moon.

This helpful hare is referred to in Chinese mythology as the Jade Hare. Because of his and Chang-O's legendary importance, you will see - stamped on every mooncake, every mooncake box, and every Moon Cake Festival poster - images of Chang-O and sometimes the Jade Hare.

The old man on the moon: There is a saying in Chinese that marriages are made in heaven and prepared on the moon. The man who does the preparing is the old man of the moon (Yueh Lao Yeh). This old man, it is said, keep as a record book with all the names of newborn babies. He is the one heavenly person who knows everyone's future partners, and nobody can fight the decisions written down in his book. He is one reason why the moon is so important in Chinese mythology and especially at the time of the Moon Festival. Everybody including children, hikes up high mountains or hills or onto open beached to view the moon in the hope that he will grant their wishes.

To celebrate this sighting of the moon, red plastic lanterns wrought in traditional styles and embellished with traditional motifs are prepared for the occasion. It is quite a sight to see Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, or Morse Park in Kowloon, alight with thousands of candlelit lanterns. These "Lantern Carnivals" also occur spontaneously on most of the colony's beaches.The lantern are made in such traditional shapes are rabbits, goldfish, carps, butterflies, lobsters and star-shaped fruits. However, in modern Hong Kong you will also see lantern in the shape of missiles, airplanes, rockets, ships and tanks. In Chinese mythology, the butterfly is the symbols of longevity and the lobster the symbols or mirth. Star-shaped fruit is the seasonal fruit in the autumn, and the crap is an old symbol of the Emperor, personifying strength, courage, wisdow and, of course, power.

SARAWAK FESTIVAL & SEMATAN FESTIVAL.

Sematan is the place to head for if you want to visit the annual Sematan Festival. Sematan is a seaside town located 110 km west of Kuching. The Carnival is usually being held three days as part of the state's effort to promote the town as a tourist destination. The town boasts attractions like beautiful beaches, corals, seafood and two nearby national parks - Tanjung Datu National Park and Gunung Gading National Park.
Visitors will revel in the festival-like atmosphere and at the same time taste the local specialties being sold at the stalls. This includes stalls offering live crabs and a variety of crab dishes such as crab sandwiches, soft-shelled crab burgers and fried rice with crabstick. Yummy!

SARAWAK REGATTA.

Sarawak Regatta has been a premier event with a distinct historical and cultural significant. It was held as early as before 1872 and was organized as an annual event taking place during the New Year. Sarawak Gazette had recorded in 1872, that the annual Regatta that year was held, on 29th February 1872 at the Sarawak River infront of the Astana. The European community in Sarawak and in the neighboring countries were invited to the Astana - for breakfast - before the race. Keen competition were also recorded for the Rajah Cup.

The boat 'Sri Matu' built and manned by the Melanaus, was reported as the winning boat. The Gazette records provided the indication that Regatta had been an important social event organized annually for social integration and goodwill for the people of Sarawak. Prominent Political figure, the late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Ong Kee Hui, recorded that Raja Charles Brooke used to send his yacht "Maimunah1 to outstation to bring in the various "Tuan Residents" to join in the social event.

The tradition of holding the annual Regatta in the Sarawak River continued through the Colonial period and into the post-Malaysia period. During these periods the Regatta was organized by Resident and District Office with funds from the Government while the rest of the fund was raised through public donations.

The day programme include races for traditional longboats, dragon boats and other activities, like the running of totolizers, climbing greasing poles, catching ducks and "pillow fights". Racing boats from outstations made it a grand affair and also a great occasion for families from outside the State Capital to visit Kuching town.