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The Gawai Dayak festival (or Hari Gawai) is an annual celebration that takes place in Malaysian Borneo. It’s a time for friends and family to come together, share food and dance, play traditional music, or simply relax under the stars. It’s also a time when you’re likely to see some of the most spectacular fireworks displays you’ve ever seen!
Did we mention it lasts for four days? If this sounds like your kind of holiday then head on over to Malaysia in May/June, and get ready for one amazing party!
Gawai Greeting
“Selamat Gawai” or “Selamat Hari Gawai” may replace your normal morning greeting of “selamat pagi!”
What is Gawai Dayak?
Gawai Dayak is a harvest festival that was originated from the Malaysian state of Sarawak, which is on the island of Borneo. It celebrates the bountiful rice harvest season and thanksgiving for a successful year. The celebration in Borneo differs from region to region but typically includes traditional ngajat dance, singing, and music, with songs in praise of God, as well as food offerings to thank Him for blessing them with sustenance.
So, technically, it is a thanksgiving day marking a bountiful harvest. Practically, it means you drive around to multiple houses, visit, and get fed a full meal at each place! Good harvest, indeed!
Many meal ingredients are cooked inside bamboo logs, which infuses an interesting flavor. Some of the traditional dessert foods include: sarang semut, kuih sepit, and penganan iri.
I’ve been fortunate enough to experience Gawai twice, in 2005 and 2017! It’s really one of the best times to visit Sarawak!
What Does Gawai Dayak Mean?
Gawai means “festival,” and Dayak is the collective name for all the indigenous peoples of the area. The Dayak peoples (native people of Borneo) include (but are not limited to) Bidayuh, Iban, Penan, and Orang Ulu.
In other words, it’s the festival of the Dayak people!
Many Dayak peoples also live in West Kalimantan, which is south of Sarawak, and is part of Indonesia.
When is Gawai?
Gawai is officially an annual festival on June 1, but the Gawai celebrations can start a week ahead of time and continue on past the first of June.
Gawai Eve, the evening of May 31st, is often when many large party gatherings are held. Then, the next day, on June 1, people return to their homes for welcoming visitors.
How is Gawai Celebrated?
The Gawai festival is celebrated in many different ways, including cultural activities, dayak traditions, beauty pageants, parades, and fireworks. Family members who have moved away often return home for the celebrations.
NOTE: The easiest way for you to get to the area is to fly into Kuching, Sarawak’s capital city.
My favorite part of Gawai is visiting at the homes of the Dayaks and partaking of all the delicious traditional food on offer. Glutinous rice flour is used to make many of the dishes.
The key is to pace yourself. At the first house, even though you might be super hungry & want to eat everything, DON’T! You will regret it at the 2nd & 3rd houses, because you are expected to eat at each place. We went to 3 amazing open houses. Some English was spoken at each one, and each experience was very relational.
A welcome drink is often offered to you. It is usually tuak, a rice wine. Toast to “long life!”
Here was our Gawai food experience in 2017!
Gawai Dayak Meal #1
Gawai Dayak Meal #2
These traditional cakes are fantastic. How do they make those?!?!?
Gawai Dayak Meal #3
Kampung Meeting
There is often no need to eat dinner, as you will essentially have several lunches. After leaving the 3rd house, we drove to a Bidayuh community village (kampung) & watched Bidayuh children & young women compete in a beauty pageant to see whose Bidayuh traditional dress outfits were the best.
The meeting took place in the kampung’s “head house,” which (in the past) was used to display their headhunting skulls, etc. When we went into the meeting, it was raining lightly. When we left, it was a torrential downpour. Our rain jackets came in very handy. What would you expect when the weather that particular day was Max Temp = 91°F / Average Humidity = 85%!
Here’s a list of many of the useful items we took with us: Items to Pack for SE Asia
Have you ever experienced Gawai? Please share in the comments below!
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