Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang (seated fourth left) was one of the VIPs attending the ‘Makan Tahun’ celebration at Kampung Bungai in Bekenu, Sibuti on Sunday.
MIRI: The state Ministry of Tourism must tap into the uniqueness of the Kedayan tradition of ‘Makan Tahun’ – a thanksgiving festival for a bountiful rice harvest.
A Kedayan offshore professional, Ahem Jamin, in his 50s, remarked that it was high time for the Tourism Ministry to promote the festival as a tourism product to the outside world.
“We have seen many ethnic groups like the Malays, Ibans, Chinese, Orang Ulus, etc promoted by Sarawak Tourism. However, little do they know about the friendly Kedayan community living mostly in northern Sarawak,” Ahem said to The Borneo Post yesterday.
According to Ahem, besides being a celebration for a bountiful harvest, the ‘Makan Tahun’ festival is also a symbol of unity and brotherly bonding in the community and a time for ‘tahlil’ prayers for the dead and prayers for good fortunes.
He said family members living and working abroad or in other divisions and states would get together during the festival which is held in most Kedayan villages.
“The uniqueness about this ceremony is every villager is involved and given tasks and responsibilities by the village chief in the spirit of ‘gotong-royong,” he elaborated.
Though the festival varies from one village to another, traditional cakes like the ‘kelupis’, ‘wajid’ and ‘panyaram’ are its main features in all the villages, he added.
Another unique feature of the ‘Makan Tahun’ festival is the involvement of all villagers in the preparation of food.
Normally on the first day of the festival, a group of men and women will do the wrapping of kelupis (rice wrapped in ‘nyirik’ leaves) before it is steamed in a giant steel pot over a fire.
The men will set up a place and get ready the firewood.
The activities on the second day are normally cooking and cultural entertainment.
On this day, another group of men and women will pack the ‘Kelupis’ and other local cakes such as ‘wajid’ and ‘panyaram’ to be given away as gifts to visitors as well as the villagers.
At night, a group of men will cook the food using firewood while the women only prepare the spices and ingredients.
The visitors and villagers will be entertained to a ‘Bermukun’ or ‘Gendang Sarawak’, which is normally practised during big celebrations and wedding ceremonies.
The third day is the peak of the festival, when the elders pray for a successful celebration.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development Rosey Yunus, a Kedayan herself, wants more programmes to promote the community’s food, culture, traditions and costumes to other races in the state and country.
“There are beautiful places and the friendly Kedayan community that are yet to be tapped as tourism attractions,” she said.