Pesta Menuai
Sabah, an East Malaysian state that occupies the northwest tip of the island of Borneo, celebrates Pesta Menuai (Harvesting Festival) each May to mark the end of the rice-harvesting season. In the local Sabahan language of Kadazandusun this festival is called Tadau Kaamatan.
Pesta Menuai is celebrated to offer thanks to the gods for a bountiful harvest and to ask for their blessings for the coming season. The Kadazandusun people include the Unduk Ngadau Beauty Pageant as part of their Tadau Kaamatan. The celebration is in praise of the legendary Huminodun, who was a willing sacrifice for the sake of her father, and Unduk Ngadau is in praise of Huminodun's eternal youth and total beauty of heart, mind, and body. For those who are no longer involved in agriculture or have embraced nonanimistic religions, the festival is an occasion to renew friendships, have family reunions, and perform filial duties. It is celebrated with a feast of food and merrymaking not only in the villages but also in the towns. Open houses are held wherein friends and relatives are served traditional food.
Further Reading
Charuruks, Irene Benggon, and Janette Padasian, eds. (1992) Cultures, Customs, and Traditions of Sabah, Malaysia: An Introduction. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation.
Evans, Ivor H. N. (1970) Studies in Religion, Folk-Lore, and Customs in British North Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. London: Frank Cass.
Yahaya Ismail. (1998) The Cultural Heritage of Sabah. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Dinamika Edition.
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