Gawai: then and now

I guess i am being nostalgic, Gawai is round the corner and I will be having my day off tomorrow (25th May) to prepare for Gawai and to have a bit of time to relax as well ....this posting compares the Gawai (Harvesting Festival) festivities - before and now - how it was celebrated, and my own perceptions of it ..Gawai is celebrated by the Dayaks in Sarawak (Iban, Bidayuh etc) to mark the end of the harvest season ..it is a thanksgiving festivities to thank the god for bountiful harvest ...it is celebrated on the 1st of June of every year, and in Sarawak 1st and 2nd June are declared as public holidays ...

my sister, Elizabeth, in traditional Iban costume (cannot remember when this was taken) ...with my parents at our house in Sri Aman. Dad was wearing a vest made for him by his late grandmother...this vest has been handed down to my brother (was in fact brought by my brother to New Zealand when he was studying there)

When we were little, and when my paternal grandfather was still alive, we always spent Gawai holiday at dad's longhouse ...i was in primary school then ...and being the eldest grandchild, i was greatly pampered (what else is new huh?)...then, the celebrations were simple ....everybody came back to the longhouse ....the atmosphere were great ...lots of festivities, drinking (tuak i.e. rice wine as the popular drinks during Gawai), eating, dancing and mingling around ....as with other festivals of other races i guess ...as a kid, i was looking forward to Gawai coz of the new shoes, new dress, new clothes and of courses helping mum to bake cakes and cookies ....and was allowed to lick the spoon afterwards! LOL ...and when we were back at the longhouse my grandad would pamper us - stay up late, no homework, can play whenever we want, swimming in the river etc etc ....

but when my grandad passed away in 1984, and my dad bought our first house in Sri Aman, this routine changed. We started to celebrate Gawai at our own house ...and my late grandmother would spent gawai with us ...the routine would be us going back to the longhouse to pick my grandmother up either on 30th or 31st May, then went to the cemetery to light up candles at my grandad's grave and then back to Sri Aman ....and on 3rd or 4th, my grandmother would insist that we sent her back to the longhouse ...this was our routine till my grandmother died in 2004 ....

During this period, i was in secondary school and have lots of friends coming over for Gawai (yeah - the teenager phase of my life)...so, i found it more convenient than celebrating in longhouse where I dont have that many friends ...and i would be fully involved in the preparation ....when i was in secondary school and in college, i took full responsibility when it come to baking cakes and cookies ....i had a full run of the Gawai cakes hehehehe and still do! my dad would say which cake he wants and the rest for me to decide ....i just love baking back then ...layered cakes which are too time consuming were my fav ...everything were homemade ...

Now, time has evolved ....globalization kicks in ....and so does massive manufacturing ....ready-made cakes are easily available ...different colours, flavours and at competitive prices ....mum always argued that homemade cakes taste better but she always succumbed to "the easy way out" i.e. buying ready-made products for Gawai ...hehehehe till the last 5 years ....when I started working here, i found it very difficult to bake coz i have little time off ...and my strategy was to get the cakes from colleagues who does the baking ....so, i get homemade cakes at reasonable price ....so, mum is happy, i am happy ...win win situation ....this Gawai, i had ordered cakes from this colleague of mine as well ....Kek Mata Kucing .... and i will get other cakes from my fav deli ...and i also ordered tuak (rice wine) from an acquaintance ....so, that's my Gawai preparation covered ....

This Gawai, mum and dad will oversee the buying and cooking of meats, vege etc etc ...and my brother will be responsibles for the beverages and other stuffs (inc bbq and serving guests) ...my SIL will do some cooking (i think) ....did i mention that, for the first time in more than 20 years, the whole family will be celebrating Gawai at the longhouse? Last year, only me and my parents were at the longhouse - but we only stayed one night ...this year, the whole bunch (minus my sister) are going back to the longhouse at the end of the week ...a first in over 20 years ...if my grandparents are still alive, they would be very happy to see their grandkids and great-grandkids coming home for Gawai ...

i am sure there will be a lot of things that i am not familiar with ...but i'll be bringing my camera and my laptop ..if i have the time, i will be posting some updates on this ...hehehe i am excited to go but at the same time, kind of dreading it coz am not sure what to expect!

Watch this space ...xxx