Gawai

Gawai is one of the biggest event evry year in sarawak. For me it is the one of the big three event each year. Besides Chinese New Year and Christmas, I like to enjoy Gawai. Well here in sarawak, the races are rather balance with majority dayak then followed by chinese and Malays.
Normally I will go visit my friends during gawai. There are many food like tradisional chicken in bamboo, lemang using the hill paddy, tuak and others. but lately there isn't much of those tradisional food prepared as it takes time to prepare and youngsters normally go back to their kampung on the nite of gawai after celebrating at their home in the city during the first day with friends and collegues and relatives. It used to be an "octoberfest" version of sarawak. where everyone will drinks tuak from one house to another until finish visiting all the houses in the village. The "Tuak" is rice wine where they will make it using their family recipe. Some are sweet as it is made using sugarcane. A good tuak is one that is crystal clear with white yellowish colour. Some of it is very hot as many gingers are used to make it too. But I never tried one using pepper. Should be nice considering the famous sarawak pepper.
Every Gawai used to be the most happy moments where the pigs rared will be killed for night barbeque. mostly baby pigs are used. very juicy depending on the fatness of the piglet. the skin is cryspy like the barbeque pork found in shops. The piglet will also be used to cook traditional cook. The pork leg is delicious when cook with black pepper. really delicious.
Besides that, what makes this festival fun is the nature of the villages as it is located far from the hussle and bustle of city live. The kampung chicken and its chicks are free to roam everywhere, the cat of the house as well as the dog. that is the benefit of rural life vs city life.
Besides that, the youngsters will be opening illegal gambling "hollocim" the game consist of images of animals like crab, chicken, and others. I can't really recall because I'm not interested with it.
In addition, there will  be a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the God of rice or sth else. The witch doctors will dress in their traditional clothes and start dancing the ghost possesing dance. Imagine watching old lady dancing like a young 18 year girl at dicso. making circles around the offering place. Offering include chicken, rice, some unidentified herbs and others that I'm so sure of. But these days there is no longer any of such offering as the witch doctors died and younger generations are mostly christians who do not pratice the culture of pagans. SO very difficult to find such occasions.
At night there will be a karaoke with youths dancing and singing all night. its like a mini disco. One more thing about gawai that I can remember is that there is a community hall where their forefathers whom were head hunters will hung their
Too bad I accidentally erased all the pictures that I took during my trip to kampung Opah in Bau area. Last time, the whole kuching will be heading to this village during gawai time as they celebrate about a week or two after the official 1st june date. Hundreds of car will be queuing to go in the kampung. about an hour queue just to get in and out from the bridge at the entrance of the village. those are the days that I missed most. thats why I woul fork out extra RM313 for my air ticket  to get back early to celebrate it. Its like chinese celebrating chinese new year. Well, I learnt my lesson form previous gawai by not drinking too many until I was drunk and my whole body itch the next few days with terrible headache. Just one more tip, don't walk near a drunk man as that is the norm here where fight starts in the kampung. Normally a drunk person will not admit and will say silly things and look very blur or keep on laughing to themselves with no reason when they are high. These are the signs to look up for if a person is drunk. Welcome to alcoholic gawai sarawak a place to forget all the problems and troubles that one is facing in reality.
happy GAWAI GURU GERAI NYAMAI