~ Gawai Dayak ~ Festival - June

This harvest festival, gives thanks to the gods and spirits for the bounty of the land. With centuries of
tradition behind it, this native ritual involves communication with the spirit world, ancestral worship and
feasting with friends and family of the whole community.

Dayak Dance

Celebrated mid year on June 1 and 2, though unofficially the festivities begin during the last week of
May and continue through mid-June. Usually, the people of many longhouses harvest their rice fields
well before the big day and have their own small scale Gawai feast at the end of their harvests.

Celebrated by the Dayak, which generally refers to the Iban, Bidayuh and the Orang Ulu communities in
Sarawak. The elders perform traditional rites, everyone dresses in their traditional costumes and there is
food and drink. Tuak, rice wine, and an array of traditional food are generously served along the ruai,
veranda, and bilik, room, in every longhouse. Widespread celebrations are held not only in the main
cities and towns but also in the interior settlements.

Gawai is an occasion for parties, fun and games, processions and ‘open houses’. At rural dwellings,
especially in roadside villages and remote villages, guests are expected to taste tuak and eat at each
household. Thus in a 30 door longhouse with a family living behind each door, it means partaking in
festivities over and over again. Music and dancing usually follow to liven up the mood.

In native dress

In Kuching, celebrations start a week before with colourful street parades and cultural activities. On the
eve of the Gawai, a grand state dinner is held at the Civic Centre with singing, dancing and a beauty
pageant which culminates in the crowning of several Gawai Queens, one each for Iban, Bidayuh and
Orang Ulu communities.

Obviously, Gawai Dayak is the best and the most interesting time to visit Sarawak as you can see and
sample the lifestyle and its festivities. All visitors are warmly received and accepted as new friends even
if they happen to be strangers. It is a happy time for all concerned.