Hari Gawai

Gawai Dayak Day (Jawi script: ݢاواي دايق) is an annual festival celebrated by Dayaks in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia on May 31 and June 1. The festival is a public holiday in Sarawak and a religious and social event recognized since 1957. Hari Gawai Dayak is a concept brought to you by radio producers Tan Kingsley and Owen Liang from the Dayak community. The British colonial government refused to recognize Dayak Day until 1962. They simply called it Sarawak Day by involving all Sarawakians as national day, regardless of ethnic origin. On June 1, 1963, Datuk Michael Buma, a native of Betong, organized the first Gawai Dayak Day celebration at his house in Siol Kandis, Kuching. [1] On 25 September 1964, Sarawak Day was gazetted as a public holiday to announce the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. This public holiday was first celebrated on June 1, 1965 and became a symbol of the unity, aspirations and hopes of the Dayak community. The festival is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest and time to plan a new planting season.

Source by Wikipedia

Location : Sarawak