A Malay Wedding in the Kampung(Village).

When was the last time you attended a Malay kenduri kahwin (wedding) in the rural area of a Kampung? During Gawai day holiday I was in Pekan Lingga  to attend a  wedding and today I would like to share with my blog viewer/readers what goes on in a typical kampung wedding.

Pekan Lingga is located at the outskirts of Batang Lupar, and is famous for its Longtail shad or locally known as Terubuk, the talk of most outsiders. Here, the fish is sold between RM30 to RM 40 a kilogramme.

The journey to pekan Lingga over two hours from Bandar Sri Aman by land. Throughout the journey, travellers would experience  bumpy ride due to poor road condition.

In Pekan Lingga the majority are the Ibans, and the Malays comprise of 30% of the population, Chinese comprises of 7% of the population while other races makes up the remaining 3%.(Throughout the journey, travellers would be able to take in the breathtaking view of modern Iban long house).

Majority of the people living in this small district of Lingga make farming as part of their living. It is their main source of income. 53% of the people here are involved in paddy plantation while 37 % plant chillies. Another 10% are fishermen.A small minority of them plant vegetables and fruits, open small mini markets, sell rubber and others. There are some who work in the private sector in the towns nearby. Some of them also work with the government either in or out of Lingga.

 The road to the village from pekan lingga is good and wide enough to allow one car to move in one direction
If another car is coming in from the opposite direction, one car will eventually have to give way by gingerly pulling to the side of the narrow road to let the other vehicle through.

We were finally approaching the wedding venue.

Once we had arrived, we were greeted by villagers community clad in colorful Malay attires, as were we. Malays really love bright colors for their formal clothing. Weddings that take place in the kampung are extremely communal affairs; chances are if you're a friend of the groom or bride's parents, you will help the family by participating in the wedding operations or in the city we call it wedding planner.

For example, you might be heavily involved with cooking the food to be served to the wedding guests.
A delightful traditional Malay wedding involve nearly everyone in the kampung (village) and is more elaborate.

And of course, if you're expecting three villages of guests to attend your wedding, you have to have a team of dishwashers, ready to take up the task of plate cleaning with speed and efficiency! Here they all are, ready and poised for action.

 

What's even more interesting is the berjoget (the Malay triditional dance) What indeed is a wedding without music! (karaoke)..It's fun anyway, at this Malay kampung wedding.

Before the Majlis Bersanding they had the 'Majlis Khatam Alquran',  read verses of the Holy Quran signifying that they had completed all the Chapters of the AlQuran. This was led by the Village's Ladies Group who also recites the Marhaban the Verses of Arabic Chorus praising god and the prophet.But in the "good old days" (that’s what my grandmother used to say) a delightful traditional Malay wedding involves nearly everyone in the kampung and is more elaborate.For the Malays,there are certain preliminaries or events which must happen before the wedding for example you can hear the melodies beat of the kompang before the wedding couple can sit regally on the special made Malay wedding dais (Pelamin).

 

I was told that all the villagers  were expected to turn up for the wedding! Therefore a lot of food had to be prepared. 

   The guests are enjoying the local rice and the greatest kampong recipes.

In the kampungs, it's common to see people eat with their hands, and certainly it saves dishwashers time as there are less things to wash! I personally hate washing spoons and forks after I eat.

 

As you're eating, you'll be presented with a small token of appreciation from the host, usually in the form of a boiled egg wrapped in colorful decorations usually called bunga telor.........

 

Villagers are more conservative and therefore proceed to sit in segregated areas separated by sexes. Here you see the ladies and children chomping away in their self-designated territory. The men were located on the other side of the turf.

 

All this talk about small Malay village wedding  and we have yet to see Raja Sehari ("king of the day")!.Congratulations !!! to newly wedding couple.Now, the groom is dressed in a fancy yellow baju Melayu with a sampin wrapped around his waist. Tucked in his sampin is a commonly used wedding accessory, a  keris (Malay dagger, you know, to make him look all macho). The headgear on groom head is tengkolok which is commonly worn by Malay sultans even today especially for formal ceremonies.The Bride also wearing beautiful yellow look alike dress worn by the Malay Princes.......

I can  see that, all the villagers  will come together and assist the family to make the whole ceremony a success and enjoyable even though the kampong house have limited  space  but  the cooperation and harmonious of the villagers, how small or big the kenduri kahwin is going to be makes no difference at all. What matters most is everyone comes together to witness the ceremony of the wedding and the beautifully designed Malay wedding dais (Pelamin).Attending this wedding has made me better appreciate and value my Malay roots, so I'm really glad I decided to leave the hustle and bustle of city life for a few days.

The Bidayuh Ring Ladies in Semban, Sarawak

Technorati Tags: Tribe,Culture

 

Get close to the people here who are from the Bidayuh Rasong ethnic and you can feel their warm hospitality towards you. Don’t forget to meet the Ladies of The Ring and the bamboo musician in the village. Take picture with them. There are only a few of them left because some were already get off the brass rings because of the rings sometimes hurting them and it needs a lot job to clean the brass everyday.I was here last week, hosted by Sarawak Tourism Board and the trip was fun indeed, I went together with Jawlinda and Deckson.We stay with Sagen family (Semban Village stay 014-8808123).Sarawak Bloggers Community are happy to play their role to promote Sarawak as Tourist Destination.

Group photo with Bidayuh Ring Ladies

 

Seems that there are only 5 Bidayuh elder women left in Semban village who are still wearing the copper rings. Many years ago, according to Sagen, many women would still be wearing them but slowly things changed and many of the younger generations prefer bracelets and anklets. Things didn’t look promising for the tradition of wearing the rings when even school teachers begin to ban students from wearing them.

 

I didn’t know that Bidayuh women wore copper rings on their arms and legs as a sign or beauty and status until I saw it for myself in Semban. Our guide Sagen did mention it but I never thought much of the rings back then. Now that I have seen them myself, I have to agree that they are most beautiful and in its own way very majestic. The sad thing is that there are only 5 of the women left who are still wearing the rings.

The bamboo musician

I am not all that sure if the rings are made of copper or brass. But an old newspaper cutting in Sagen’s house stated that the rings were actually made of yellow copper. Called Rasung and Ruyang where believed to be obtained from foreign traders 100 years ago and wearers back then are considered to be ‘somebody’. Wearing the rings is more of a personal choice. While they signify beauty and status, the wearer is subjected to physical pain, often having to grow up with atrophied limbs The Bidayuh women came to meet us in their finest. They seem very proud of the rings they are wearing and their clothes have been beautifully decorated with beads of all kind. One thing I also notice is that they go everywhere with their chewing kit, known as ’Lonok’.

  

For someone to wear those rings since the age of 12, and still did everything anyone else did (they still work on their farms even with the rings on!), I would say that these women are really a respectable lot. As the lure of big cities and the prospect of an easier life vacuums away the younger generation from the village, the practice of wearing copper Rasung and Ruyang will soon be a thing of the past. A sad end to such beauty and charm of the Bidayuh’s in Semban.

Let's Fly With Firefly Airline to Kota Kinabalu.

My last trip to Kota Kinabalu was 20 years ago,it was my official trip then on duty so I have no chance to explore the culture and the beauty of Kota Kinabalu.How I wish I can fly to Kota Kinabalu again and this time I want to fly with Firefly Airline and have a chance to fly with the latest Boeing 737-800 series .In Kota Kinabalu i can make a short trip that may last for 5-6 days.Photography is my hobby so if i have a chance to go to Kota Kinabalu I wish to photograph the beautiful culture and the beautiful of Kota Kinabalu.I wish to photograph and the activities of the people,go to new place and spending time observing the people there experience their way of life,talking to local people or perhaps making new friends.In Kota Kinabalu I love to visit .Gaya Street Sunday Market,City Mosque,Lok Kawi Wildlife Park,Tanjung Aru Beach and Sabah State Museum Heritage and Village.

Gaya Street located in the Kota Kinabalu Central Business District has been the centre of business for over a hundred years. The wooden shops with nipah roofs are long gone but here is where generations-old family businesses are still thriving passed down from father to son. Every Sunday morning, the length of Gaya Street is closed off to traffic to make way for the Fair. Shop for anything under shady trees and over-sized umbrellas, like batik sarongs, fruits and flowers, arts and craft, footwear, antiques and souvenirs, cakes, even pets and herbs!. This is the best place to experience the cross-section of the local population when entire families enjoy a Sunday outing.

The Gaya Street Fair is on every Sunday from 6.30 am to 1.00 pm.

 

City Mosque Kota Kinabalu.
Built on a 2.47 acres site at the Likas bay, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is exemplary of the Islamic contemporary architecture. Situated near the sea, this majestic white mosque boasts similar features to the Nabawi Mosque in Medina. This floating mosque has a prayer hall which houses three madrasahs and accommodates from 9, 000 to 12, 000 people at a time.
By far the largest mosque in Kota Kinabalu, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is even possibly the most beautiful one in Malaysia – the man-made lagoon which surrounds it gives a serenely gorgeous and dramatic look to the mosque on a full moon night.
The Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is open for public visits daily except Fridays from 8am to 5pm. There are no fees charged on visitors

Tanjung Aru Beach Kota Kinaalu.
Located at the end of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and about 6 kilometres from KK City, this place is closest to the hearts of the locals, and just one visit to the beach will tell you why. Taking its name from the casuarinas or aru trees that fringe the fine sands, this is where one might get a ringside seat to the greatest sunset on earth every evening when the crimson sun dips slowly into the horizon, leaving the vast skies a brilliant red.. Food stalls serving local food and drinks are open till late at night. Enjoy coconut and sugarcane juice, chicken or beef satay and steamed peanuts and corn, or indulge in a full-course dinner at the seafood restaurant located there.
The Tanjung Aru beach is also home to Shangri-la's Tanjung Aru Resort, the Kinabalu Golf Club and the Kinabalu Yacht Club.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Kota Kinabalu.
The Lok Kawi Wildlife Park was officially open to the public on the 17th February 2007. It is located along the Penampang-Papar old road and is fully developed by the Sabah Wildlife Department.
The park consists of two components: zoological and botanical. The main objective of the park is to become a family-oriented park and the emphasis is put on the Children’s Zoo.
Among the inhabitants of the zoo (zoological component) are the Borneo Pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, Orang Utan, Proboscis monkey, Malayan tiger, as well as some different species of deer.
The botanical component, on the other hand; offers visitors the opportunity to go jungle trekking along the botanical trail. The paved trail is about 1.4 kilometers long. However, for leisurely strolls, visitors are only advised to walk halfway along the trail.
Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is open for the public daily from 9.30a.m to 5.30p.m. Entrance fees charged are as follows: adults RM10 (Malaysian) and RM20 (non-Malaysian).

The fifth place that i will visit is  Sabah State Museum & Heritage Village Kota Kinabalu.
Built in 1985, the Museum complex is sited where then British North Borneo Governor's Istana was once located. The Museum consists of the Main Building, Science and Education Centre, Heritage Village, Sabah Art Gallery and Museum of Islamic Civilization. Inside are various Galleries housing Natural History, Ceramics, Ethnography and Archaeology exhibits, among others ...
Ceramics, traditional weapons and costumes reflect the diversity of the State's culture and traces Sabah's early trade links with the neighbouring countries of Southeast Asia and China. The museum also houses musical instruments, tools and ritual paraphernalia.
There is a Heritage Village on the Museum grounds where you can enter and experience different types of traditional houses of the various indigenous groups of Sabah. Cultural activities are held here from time to time.
The Sabah State Museum is located on Jalan Bukit Istana Lama, Kota Kinabalu, 4 km or about 15 minutes from the KK City Centre.
Not only will you be amazed by the places to see and things to in Kota Kinabalu, you will also be treated with unique Sabahan hospitality. Explore the unique culture and tradition of Sabah and get ready to experience sweet memories to last a lifetime!.

If you want to win a give away ticket from Firefly Airline to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching you can join the contest and  for more information click FEEQSAYS.NETWORK

Thank You & Credit to the owner of the google image( above) and Thank You again.

Traditional Dress.

To-day I have decided to post a photo that I took on one of  the celebration in Kuching.   I took this while at a padang merdeka with some friends.  I shot with Olympus E-620 and happened to have the camera out at the right moment as I passed this people wearing Sarawak native traditional dress.

Beautiful traditional dress.........

Beautiful maiden with colourful traditional dress.

Melanau of Sarawak with their traditional dress.

Student wearing traditional dress during the performance in Kuching.

Sarawak Inter-Cultural Moon cake Festival.

Thousands of people from all walks of life thronged the street in true spirit of celebration and sharing as one nation.

COLOURFUL lanterns, delectable local delicacies, martial arts and cultural shows dominated one of Kuching city’s oldest streets, Carpenter Street, during the Ninth Sarawak Inter-Cultural Mooncake Festival.More than 100 stalls offered all kinds of food and drinks, products and services as well as hair cuts by professional stylists at just RM1 per person; while community-based organisations performed traditional music and cultural shows from the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Dayak communities to entertain the passing crowd.

Bertuntung or Lighting Fiesta.

Lighting fiesta or better known as 'Bertuntung' which go on through the Syawal period see villages in Kuching,lighted with decorative lamp and traditional lamps.

Children is the most joyful people during the fiesta .Here you see the children preparing to light the traditional lamps.

This fiesta bertuntung  is held with aim of bringing back nostalgic feeling of how Hari Raya was  celebrated in the past.

The villagers would decorated the kampung(Village) and houses with kerosene lamps  and colourful decoration lamps.

Bertuntung  a traditional widely practised by the Malay Muslim community in Sarawak since the colonial era.

This is how the kerosene lamp look like,,,,Selamat Hari Raya.

The Night of Tujuh Likor...

 

The last 10 nights of Ramadan is said to be the most auspicious nights for the month. It is mentioned in the holy Quran that angels would come down to earth on one of those night, praying together with those who pray late in the nights.

Another practice associated with the last days of Ramadan is that of putting up lights around the house. From the twenty-seventh day of the month up to the Hari Raya (Eid) festival, if you walk through any Malay village you will find the houses lighted up with oil lamps, or coloured electric lamp. The occasion is known as "Malam Tujuh Likur" but it is not of Islamic origin even though the lights are said to welcome the angels who visit earth during this period.

Nevertheless, these displays of lights are very attractive especially in the villages. It also set the mood for the Hari Raya festival which is just a few days away.

Balik Kampung Rush in Sibu.

Selamat Hari Gawai Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai to all Malaysians who will be celebrating the Gawai on 01 june 2010.

 

 

The mad rush............

Congested at Sibu express boat jetty...........

The Gawai Dayak rush has begin in Sibu Express Boat Jetty  last Sunday,as members of the Dayak community return home to celebrate the festival in their respective longhouses.