THE Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof yesterday received a visit from Sabah’s Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan committee members.
The delegation was led by the 2016 Chairperson of Sabah’s National Level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan, Joanna Datuk Kitingan; the crowned winner of the 2016 Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan, Sherry Anne Laujang, who is also Sabah’s ambassador of culture and tourism, accompanied by several officers from Sabah’s cultural institution and the Malaysian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam, a press release said.
During the visit held at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) building, the minister and the visiting party exchanged ideas on how to conserve, promote and preserve the nation’s culture and tradition.
Sabah’s Kaamatan is a festival held after the harvest of paddy, commonly celebrated by the Kadazan-Dusun since time immemorial. Tadau Kaamatan has been considered as national holiday in Sabah since the 1960s, and is also considered as a national level festivity.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, in a group photo with the Sabah’s Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan delegation
Some of the activities in the Kaamatan celebration include the Sumazau (farmer dance) competition, Sukan Rakyat, arts and crafts exhibition, state level rally and Unduk Ngadau. In Brunei, the harvest festival is also celebrated by ethnic groups in traditions such as the Makan Tahun by the Kedayan, the Adau Gayoh by the Dusun, the Perakong by the Belait and the Tamarok Parai by the Bisaya.
Also present during the visit were the Permanent Secretaries at the MCYS, Dato Paduka Dr Haji Affendy bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin and Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Norlila binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Jalil; Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MCYS, Haji Mohd Noor Jusmin bin Haji Abdul Samad; and senior officers at the ministry.
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