Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Harvest Festival in Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu City Harvest Festival
The Ka'amatan (harvest) Festival is celebrated as a thanksgiving in honor of the bambaazon (rice spirit) for a good harvest by the Kadazandusun and Murutic communities in Sabah. This is the city-level Ka'amatan celebration which include highlights such as the most anticipated Harvest Beauty pageant or the Unduk Ngadau, sugandoi (singing) competition featuring Kadazandusun songs, drinking of rice wine (lihing) competition, local food tastings, traditional dancing and many more. Since 1987 Kota Kinabalu Yatch Club has hosted yacht and boat races during the festival. The races are an opportunity for sailors to meet other sailors and the races facilitate international participation in the festival proceedings. All are welcome to join the city dwellers in the merriment, Sabahan style!

Our team had the great fortune to be in Kota Kinabalu during the Harvest Festival and shared what they said:

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah. We visited Sabah on a holiday called Harvest Festival. We visited the Sunday morning market (see photo) and it was SOOOOOOOO busy. You could buy anything from live rabbits to handicrafts to clothes, pots and pans or books. We also saw a beautiful fish sculpture near the sea (see photo).






























We are heading to Sandakan, Sepilok and will be staying at a home stay for 5 nights and may not have internet until we return to Kota Kinabalu. We are really enjoying our travels through Malaysia.

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