Fabian William
MIRI: Many families residing here are not making the trip back to their hometowns and longhouses for the Gawai Dayak celebration due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For Fabian Willam Story, 34, his family had to cancel plans to go back to Sri Aman to be with his parents and extended families; he would have to make do with celebrating the festival with his wife and six-year-old son at their house in Senadin here instead.
“It’s a difficult decision as we have been going back to Sri Aman to celebrate Gawai with my parents and family without fail every year.
“My brother also lives in Miri, but we have decided not to meet up for ‘ngabang’ (visiting) this year for the sake of our own health – we would communicate via video calls,” he said in a phone interview yesterday.
Kelvin Felix
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Kelvin Felix Randi said he was celebrating alone as his mother had advised them not to travel back to their longhouse in Sri Aman this year.
“My sister who lives in
Kuching and I would usually drive to Sri Aman for Gawai, but this year my mother has ‘warned’ us that she would not be opening her doors to anyone – including us.
“It looks like I would just have a simple barbecue at home,” he lamented.