Special Festivals

Gawai Dayak Costume

One of the famous festivals being celebrates at Sarawak is Pesta Gawai. It is being celebrates by Dayak ethnics, Iban, Bidayuh and group of Ulu. Ulu stands by a few ethnics like Kayan,Kenyah,Kelabit,Lun Bawang,Penan,Punan and Tatau. it is officially celebrated on public holidays on 31 May and 1 June every year in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is both a religious and social occasion. It is a thanksgiving day marking a bountiful harvest and a time to plan for the new farming season.

            

      The mode of celebration varies from place to place. Preparation starts early. In fact, after the longhouse agrees to hold a big festival, the Dayaks may need to plant paddy in farms adjacent to each other and to implement a labour-exchange program called "bedurok", which is meant to ensure getting enough paddy at the end of the year in readiness for the big feast.