Introducing Harvest Festival (Pesta Kaamatan)

Hello guys..
This is the continuous from my previous post..

Kaamatan or Pesta Kaamatan is a form of harvest festival celebrated annually in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. It is normally celebrated by the ethnic Kadazan-Dusuns, as well as by other related ethnic groups in the state, and lasts for the whole of the month of May, ending with a public holiday on the 30–31 May. On 31st May, a beauty pageant known as Unduk Ngadau will be held and it ends the harvest festival with a newly crowned Unduk Ngadau in the annual host district, Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.
Unduk Ngadau
The Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant is held to commemorate the spirit of Huminodun, a mythological character of unparalleled beauty said to have given her life in exchange for a bountiful harvest for her community. She was the sacrificed daughter of the Kadazandusun spirits,Kinorohingan andSuminundu.
The title comes from the ethnic words Runduk Tadau which mean 'the girl crowned by the sunlight'.Unduk Ngadau is one of the most recognizable cultural events in Sabah and the beauty pageant is unique to the state. In Rungus Language, Runduk means "to communicate", andTadau means "the Sun". Thus, Unduk Ngadau translates to communicate with Sundu (Kinorohingan)or God asking for blessing of sunlight.
Before the official title was changed, the pageant was called Miss Kadazan in the 60s, Miss Harvest Festival in the 70s and Ratu Pesta Menuai from 1980 to 1986. The title Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan began to be used from 1987 until present.

Each contestant is expected to wear a traditional costume of their ethnicity. However, while some contestants choose to wear a costume that originated in the district they are representing, others would choose to wear a costume of their own preference which means a costume that originated from any district. Uniquely, these traditional costumes differ between the districts of Sabah, designed and worn by the contestants' ancestors. Some of the traditional costumes' designs have been modernized.
In the competition, a costume should be complete with its accessories, which are correctly situated. Traditional costumes represent ancestral heritage and each contestant is obligated to preserve and uphold their cultural identity.

Below are the most of the ethnic that is always participate in unduk ngadau.

Kadazan (Penampang)
Sinuangga blouse and tapi' (a long skirt)
It is made of black velvet cloth, decorated with golden laces and gold-plated silver Betawi buttons as a status symbol of Penampang Kadazan. In the old days, one who could afford a full set of 30 buttons (sonsolobuan) was considered wealthy. It is worn with accessories such as 3 himpogot (silver dollar coin belts), 3 tangkong (brass rings assembled on rattan strings forming hip-belts), simbong (earrings),hamai (a necklace), gohong (a bracelet) and 2 paun (golden coin brooches). Nowadays, a set of 3 authentic and aged tangkong's worth up to RM8,000 (US$1,800).

Kadazan (Papar)
Siya blouse and tapi' (a knee-length skirt) /Binoikian
The costume consists of a white undergarment known as simis, a long-sleeved black velvet blouse and a skirt embellished with linangkit (a multicoloured embroidery). In the past, the costume was usually worn to indicate the marital status of Papar Kadazan women, worn with soundung (a headscarf) then a decoratively-coloured hat made of bamboo called siung. The hat which is decorated with coloured feathers is for unmarried women, with feathers and flowers for married women and undecorated for widows and grandmothers. The accesssories are 3 korusang (golden coin brooches) and bolilit (a silver bangle) on each arm. Adorning the blouse are kubamban (golden buttons) on the front as well as on each sleeve. The himpogot (silver dollar coin belts) are worn on the hip in which women who are unmarried will wear 3 belts, while married women will wear 2 belts and 1 belt for widows as well as elders.

Dusun (Tambunan)
Sinombiaka Tinombunan blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
Before the design was modernized, this costume was made of kain tuit (cotton textile) instead of black velvet cloth. The black velvet blouse and the skirt are decorated with golden laces. Besides, a white fabric is worn around the stomach called tinggot and the old folks say that it used to be worn by pregnant women to prevent oginan (stomach ache). The accessories worn with it are such as 3 botungkat (silver dollar coin belts) and 3 tangkong (sinsing Tambunan rings assembled on rattan strings which differ from the Penampang tangkong rings). It is also worn with sunduk (a hood) that has many giring (tiny bells) attached on the end. During a ritual, Bobolian (Dusun priestesses) use the sound of the bells for sunduwan (to communicate with the spirit).
Dusun
Ranau
Lapoi Bunduliwan blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
Back then, this costume was made of cotton textile until it was replaced by black velvet cloth. However, the original form of it is still being used by the Ranau Dusun women as a costume up until today. The modernized version is comprising a black velvet blouse that has a V-neck adorned with golden laces. Its accessories including 3 tangkong (brass ring belts), 3 botungkat (silver coin belts) and other accessories. It has sunduk (a hood), a blouse and a skirt which all have giring (tiny bells) attached on the end.

Dusun Lotud (Tuaran)
Sukub Kopio blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
The modernized version is a short-sleeved black velvet blouse that has a collar, adorned with laces and sequins including linangkit (embroidery) on the skirt. The blouse is decorated with tombuku (golden coin brooches) as if they are buttons. It has kuluwu (a circular sash with golden lace along the edges). A hip accessory such as the lilimbo (a wide girdle of interconnected rattan strings) is worn around the hips in which red is for childless women, red-black is for mothers. Loti is a white cotton strip with a chain of small silver coins running over the middle of the lilimbo. Then, botungkat (a silver dollar coin belt) is worn below the lilimbo. Lotud women wear only 1 botungkat. Then, simpai (silver bangles) are worn on an upper arm and lansung (silver anklets) are worn on both ankles. In the old days, the lansung were solid brass made by the Rungus people.

Dusun Tindal (Kota Belud)
Sinipak blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
The sleeves of the blouse have hand-embroidered panels on the upper arms. Just at the elbows, the sleeves are slit, extended and several pieces of multicoloured fabrics are sewn in. Lolopot are 2 folded clothes woven using yarn from processed pisang lanut (Manila hemp), which are placed diagonally over the chest and secured at the waist. The lolopot is also known as kain dastar and often seen on Dusun Tindal newlyweds during weddings. This vibrant-coloured costume has gonob (a skirt) and sunduk do sunalatan (a hood) in which both have tiny bells attached on the end. Adorning this costume are Betawi buttons on the blouse and numerous rows of antique beads strung together to form kinokogis (a hip-belt) that stretches from the waist down to mid-thigh. On top of the kinokogis, 4 simpogot (silver dollar coin belts) are worn. Silver earrings are worn and saring pirok (hand-engraved silver bangles) are worn on each arm. Lastly, kuapu (hand-engraved silver pouches with chains; used to store tobacco) are worn around the neck.

Dusun Kimaragang (Kota Marudu)
Lapoi Kimaragang blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
This costume is adorned with laces which appear red from a distance. It is made of black velvet cloth and has accessories such as bangle on each arm, 3 tangkong (brass ring belts) and 3 limpogot (silver coin belts). The sunduk (hood), gonob (skirt), anklets and the blouse all have tiny bells attached on the end.

Dusun Tatana(Kuala Penyu)
Sira Lambung blouse and gonob (a knee-length skirt)
It is made of black velvet cloth called marinjon in Tatana language. This unique costume is adorned with golden laces as well as sequins. It has long sleeves and 12 Betawi buttons and women in the past who could afford more buttons were considered high-status or wealthy. It is worn with accessories such as 3 himpogot (silverdollar coin belts), a necklace, 3 gohong (bracelets) worn on both hands and anklet is worn on each ankle. The skirt has giring (tiny bells) attached on the end. Additionally, knee-length skirts are made for young Tatana women and long skirts are for elders.

Rungus (Kudat)
Banat Tondu blouse and tapi' rinugading (a knee-length skirt)
The traditional costume has not many changes made to it. Some of the women still wear costumes made of hand-made cotton, processed into a cloth. It has hand-stitched patterns and another cloth of the same material about 30 cm long is slipped over the head while it rests on the shoulders, draped over the arms like sleeves. It has accessories like the togung (little brass rings and antique beads assembled through thin strands of a stripped bark) that becomes a wide orot (a hip-belt). Then, lobokon (the last string of beads) is hung loosely from the coil. The orot is hand-made by the Rungus men as the technique is only known to them. It has pinakol (shoulder bands), and sandang (a long antique necklace) which are worn diagonally over the shoulders, cross over in front. The bead-work often tells a story and the patterns must follow ancient designs. Furthermore, these necklaces often include ivory-white discs, obtained from the shell of the kima and also animal bones. Several necklaces of reddish-brown glass beads and the chocker-like sullau with the white kima as the centre-piece further adorn this costume. The large burambun and the smaller giring are antique brass bells that make sound with the slightest movement. Titimbok (a multicoloured floral headpiece) is worn and sisingal (a thin band of beads) strung together, tied around the forehead. Then, pieces of cloth sewn together in rows to form rampai (colourful pigtails), tied at the nape. Brass coils are worn on the arms (saring), legs (lungkaki) and neck which are often accompanied with golinsung as well as kinumai (white and coral shell bangles). Rungus ritual specialists also wear the complete outfit when conducting rituals.

Murut Timugon (Tenom)
Babaru Linantian blouse and tapi' linantian (a long skirt) / Pinongkolo
It is a costume comprising a blouse and a long skirt made of black cotton, decorated with beadwork. It is worn with pipirot linggit (silver dollar coin belts) and various types of beads, most popular being the aki' nampalur, kotos, bungkas, aki' and olod. Salupai is made of several rows of colourful beads, worn around the head. The salupai functions as a support for the sinikot. Sinikot is a set of 3 hair pins, with the sinikot tataun in the middle and 2 sinikot surai on both sides of the hairbun. The larger sinikot tataun has the longest strings of tiny beads floating downwards to the middle of the back. Other accessories are rarangkol (a bead necklace) and holong (bracelets).

Lundayeh (Sipitang)
Bekad Berecu blouse and tekipsiating (a knee-length skirt)
This costume is a white silk cloth with trimmings on the neckline and the skirt is black, both decorated with sequins or laces. It is accessorized with baw tulang or baney baw (a multi-coloured necklace) made of resin, stone or bone. It could also be made from the mixture of sand and clay in which it would be dried under the sun for hours, then painted. Thus, these Lundayeh accessories are in fact expensive, cost thousands of ringgit. Besides, this costume is worn with selapit (a hip-belt made of coloured beads, with yellow as the main colour). It is said that Lundayeh women also wear the beret ringgit (a silver coin belt). Leku baw is worn on both wrists by coiling 2 or 10 times. Apart from that, leku sulou (a white bangle) is worn on each arm. Alet birar is worn around the head and often yellow in colour. Some people call it feta baw.

Note: There are more traditional costumes in Sabah.

Here are some of the photos of unduk ngadau contestants

These are some of the photos of the kaamatan festival events..

And guys, on the outside of the area there is something like night market where they are selling many kind of foods. These is one of them

wow and this one is another traditional drinks which is called Tapai (made from rice), taste is like bittersweet. Dont drink too much, otherwise you will get drunk..LOL

Well hope you guys enjoy and get something from this sharing. If you guys are planning to see this festival with your own eyes, you can come and visit my country on may (30th - 31st) every year.
Maybe after that you can go climb Kinabalu Mountain which i am gonna share with you guys next time.

So before you leave, please leave your comment and upvote would be much appreciated!!