Gawai Dayak
| Gawai Dayak | |
|---|---|
2024 Gawai Dayak parade in Kuching, Sarawak | |
| Official name | Gawai Dayak |
| Also called | Ari Gawai (Iban), Andu Gawai (Bidayuh) |
| Observed by | Dayaks: Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Orang Ulus |
| Type | Ethnic, cultural |
| Significance | To mark the end of the rice harvesting season and gratitude for all the blessings, harmony, sustenance and luck the Dayak tribe has received |
| Celebrations | Family and other social gatherings, symbolic decoration |
| Observances | Beauty pageants of Pekit Kumang (Dayak/Iban female), Dayung Sangon (Bidayuh female), Keligit (Orang Ulu female) and Miss Cultural Harvest Festival (female), Pekit Keling (Dayak/Iban male), Dari Pogan (Bidayuh male), dance performance of Ngajat, Pencha (sword dance), Kuntau (martial arts), and other arts and crafts performances |
| Begins | 1 June |
| Ends | 2 June |
| Date | June 1 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 1965 in Sarawak, Malaysia |
| Related to | Kaamatan |
Gawai Dayak, Ari Gawai or Andu Gawai is a form of harvest festival celebrated on 1 and 2 June annually in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia.
It is observed annually on the month of June by the Dayak ethnic groups to mark the end of the rice harvesting season and gratitude for all the blessings, harmony, sustenance and luck the tribe has received. The festival is also celebrated by Dayaks in neighbouring West Kalimantan, Indonesia on the other date, although it is still not recognised a public holiday by the republic, as well as other Dayak (particularly Iban and Bidayuh) diaspora all around Malaysia, Indonesia and abroad.
The festival is celebrated with various symbolic decoration and family and other social gatherings activities such as beauty pageants of Pekit Kumang (Dayak/Iban female), Dayung Sangon (Bidayuh female), Keligit (Orang Ulu female) and Miss Cultural Harvest Festival (female), Pekit Keling (Dayak/Iban male), Dari Pogan (Bidayuh male), dance performance of Ngajat, Pencha (sword dance), Kuntau (martial arts), and other arts and crafts performances together with the availability of food stalls throughout the festivals.