Participants of Unduk Ngadau Kota Kinabalu City competed to represent Kota Kinabalu City in this year’s National-level Unduk Ngadau at Hongkod Koisaan Penampang. The Unduk Ngadau competition is one of the most exciting events during the Harvest Festival. – Bernama photo KOTA KINABALU (May 27): “My presence here symbolises that any festival celebrated in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak is a shared celebration that must be respected.
” This excerpt from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s speech at the closing ceremony of the Kaamatan festival last year fittingly describes the importance of the harvest festival celebrated by all the people of Sabah every May. To put it succinctly, Anwar’s message is that Kaamatan is a festival that ought to be a collective celebration for all Malaysians, serving as a medium for unifying this nation’s diverse, multiracial society. The month-long Kaamatan festival, which culminates with various events on May 30 and 31, is joyously celebrated by 35 ethnic groups and 217 sub-ethnic groups in Sabah.
It is also not unusual for other Malaysian communities to participate in activities held in conjunction with the festival. In Sabah, each ethnic group has its own harvest festival, with the Kaamatan festival originally celebrated by the Kadazan Dusun group. However, according to Erbi Ganang, a Dusun from Ranau, over time, the festival has come to be celebrated by all the people of Sabah.
“For the Kadazan Dusun people, the story of K.