Category Archives: Festivals

Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival of Sabah, Malaysia

Yeah! Chinese New Year is only 2 days away and it’ll be the Year of Goat. Adults are probably not so excited about giving Ang Pow$ (red packet), but they will love lion dance. Some rich companies can afford to hire 20 lions to bless their business, but you can also watch lion dance by 100 lions for FREE.

Yup, you can enjoy such grand show in Dragon, Unicorn and Lion Dance Festival, which is an annual 1-day event usually held in weekend before Chinese New Year. This festival has been around since 1976, and they always have something new to show off every year.

Even non-Chinese Malaysians love lion dance show. It was used to be held in Merdeka Field (open space) but the event has moved to Likas Sport Complex (of Kota Kinabalu City), an indoor hall that is least affected by bad weather.

I went to the festival on last Saturday (7 Feb 2015). Around noon, the lion groups started to arrive one by one, and I was really busy taking photos. You can see my photos in Flickr album.

Pic: Techno Three Princes is the modern folkart of Taiwan and it’s gaining popularity in Sabah. In Chinese belief, they are the god that protects human from danger, plague and evil.

Red and gold are common colors of lions, which represent auspicious and prosperity in Chinese tradition, but they can be in many other colors too.

Pic: I really like this white lion, it looks so smart and beautiful. If I’m not mistaken, white lion represents Ma Chao (马超), who likes to wear white & silver armor and riding on a white horse in war, and he is one of the most famous military generals in Three Kingdoms. Lion in pure white and black is used for paying tribute to the deceased in funeral.

Pic: big and small lions. I could see pride on the faces of children who played lion dance. It’s better than playing iPad, isn’t it? I see hope in preserving our culture.

Even girls can be part of lion team.

Not only lions, dragon and Qi-ling also take part in this festival.

Pic: hyperactive Qi-Ling that dances like Energizer bunny.

Pic: Batik lions. Note the hibiscus flowers painted on the cloth.

Pic: the big head Buddha at the left looks funky.

Because goat is the zodiac of the coming new year, so they include the popular cartoon characters (Happy Sheeps and Big Grey Wolf) of China. Note the sheep head lion at the back. I wonder if they will have boar head lion in future.

Pic: baby dragon?

The Show

The lion dance and cultural show started around 3pm after all the VIPs were done with their speech and launching. The show ended around 8pm. If lion dance is your favorite, it’s like a buffet for your eyes and ears.

Pic: Lions and dragon climbed high to display scrolls with auspicious words.

Pic: blessing by hundred of lions. Epic!

Pic: fly lion, fly!

The first cultural show was 24 Festive Drums (二十四节令鼓), a performance listed as the cultural heritage of Malaysia. A group of drummers beat on 24 drums, which symbolize 24 meteorological events in farming calendar of Chinese. They use different formation and rhythm to show the harmony between sky, earth and people.

Pic: riding on a lion, what a cool way of making an entrance.

Pic: Nunchakus performance by Lee TianJiang from Teochew group. This guy is really good. You can contact him at (Mobile Phone & WhatsApp) +60 11-14138897 or WeChat (ID: leetianjiang) to arrange for a performance.

Pic: dragon chasing the big lollipop

Dragon has the highest rank among sacred animals, and also the most important because it can summon rain for the farmers.

Pic: pick green on the benches. It’s no easier than lion dance on stilts, as the lion has to balance itself on not so stable platform. You don’t need a big courtyard to invite lion to do pick green at your house.

Qi-Ling looks aggressive, but in Chinese mythology, Qi-Ling is the most gentle sacred animal and an icon of benevolence, because it never hurt human, not even plant.

My favorite show is the electrifying Lion lit-up by changing colorful LED light, as if its body is flowing with magical power. It danced and leaped on the stilts in the dark, very captivating show. Below is the video:

The following are two videos of Lion Dance on Stilts that day:

Chinese Cultural Village

The Cultural Village exhibition is something new in lion dance festival this year, too bad it’s only for one day. There were over 10 Chinese associations in Sabah participated, among them are Hakka (客家), Hokkien (福建), Teochew (潮州), Hainan (海南), Fuzhou (福州), Kwong Siew (广肇), Tai Poo (大埔), Eng Choon (永春), Sze Yip (四邑), Hin Ann (兴安), Northern Chinese (华北), San Chiang (三江), Nam Ann (南安), Lung Yen (龙岩), Anxi (安溪), etc. Each group has a population of several hundreds to many thousands in Sabah.

Pic: History is boring, but suddenly I was interested in history that day.

During 19th and 20th century, a lot of Chinese migrated to Sabah (then North Borneo) due to natural disasters or civil wars in China, or attracted by the incentive offered by British government. My late grandfather was one of them. When he arrived Borneo, he was shocked to find that Borneo was so backward. Many Chinese were farmers and labors who developed our forest and swamp into farm and towns. However, our blood, tears and sweats are documented no more than the Chinese gangland and communism in textbook of Malaysia history.

I visited the booth of each Chinese group, and their friendly exhibitors were happy to share the untold stories of their ancestors in Sabah, like their roots, why they came to Sabah and what they did here. I have to confess that there are so many things that I don’t know. In fact, many local Chinese don’t even know the hometown of their forefather. If overseas Chinese visits China and Taiwan, the people there will ask this question. They will laugh at you if you say you don’t know. When they realize that you are not joking, they will think, “OMG, this Chinese really forgets his root.”

Pic: The Hakka booth. My late grandmother also wore that summer hat (called 凉帽 in Chinese) in old day. Hakka is the biggest Chinese group in Sabah, and they are frugal, pragmatic and traditional good farmers. Most Sabah Chinese have their roots in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces of China.

Each Chinese group has its distinct culture, dialect and history. Many booths displayed the antiques and items used by their past generations.

Pic: Hokkien booth

It’s kind of fun to learn that not all Chinese are the same, each group has its own unique food, cultural practices and belief. However, these identities are fading over time.

Pic: carpenter tools, some are still being used today in less developed countries because they need no electricity to operate.

Besides labor support and lion dance, Chinese also brought in new skills and tools in agriculture, medicines, architect, etc., and the most important of all, Education. To Chinese, the Biggest Secret to Success is Education. Fortunately, Sabah government is more open and supportive in Chinese education and many non-Chinese Sabahans also send their children to Chinese schools. Let’s hope Sabah will be no longer the poorest state of Malaysia.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

More Photos

You can view bigger and better photos of Lion Dance Festival in my photo album. Enjoy!

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Hungry Ghost Festival & Shopping for the Dead

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The annual big party is around the corner, but it’s not for human. The Hungry Ghost Festival of Chinese this year falls on 9 Aug (14 Jul of Chinese’s Lunar Calendar), the time when the gate of hell opens and ghosts visit our world, and the festival lasts for a month. It’s not a Halloween type of occasion. Chinese takes this event seriously and celebrations will be held to pay homage to the ghosts.

Confucius says, “respect ghosts and gods, but stay away from them”, this reflects how Chinese deals with the spiritual world. Though Chinese are afraid of ghosts, they worships and appease them, hoping that they will leave human alone and even bring good luck.

Do you believe that ghost exists? I have heard many say, “I will never believe there is ghost until I see one!” Many of them are devout followers of a religion, so I wonder if they actually see god so they become a believer. No offense.

I think fear of death is the reason why many people want a religion, because every religion offers an answer after death, such as afterlife, heaven and immortality. And some wish ghost is real, which means they still can “live” on in another form after they die. What do you think?

Personally, I haven’t seen any ghost (and never want to), but seems like every offices that I work at are haunted. I’m used to work late and being the only one in the office at night. Sometimes I heard strange voice or noise clearly. Usually I just ignore them and try not to think too much. There was one night I heard someone walking behind my seat, I turned around a few times and saw nothing, but the footsteps getting closer each time. That was really eerie.

The Don’t

During Ghost Month, many ghosts will be lingering around us. The following is an “advisory” for us not to do something inauspicious (Note: only work for those who believe).

Don’t joke about ghost and don’t mention them. If we have to, we refer them as “Good Brother.”
Don’t step on the offering (incense, candle, paper money, food, etc.) on the street and graves. However, PTIs (illegal immigrants) feast on these leftover food without problem. Probably they are ghost too, i.e. Phantom Voters.
Reduce night-time activity. I have a friend who has “3rd-eye” that can see Good Brothers. One night, she was walking back home during ghost festival, she saw the street near her house turned into a very busy Pasar Malam (Night Market). “That’s weird. This place is not used to be a night market,” she was wondering, then she saw those people have no feet…
Swimming is a big NO-No. Something in the water would drag you…
Our deceased family members would ride on insect such as moth and beetle to visit our house. Don’t slap it with slippers because it might be our great grandmother. (hope they don’t choose cicada as it’ll be a bumpy ride…)
Don’t play Ouija board to interact with “another side.” It’s very dangerous and you will risk yourselves being possessed.
Don’t disguise as ghost to scare someone, because you will see (or make) the real one. It’s not funny whatsoever.
If you see or hear anything unusual or unexplainable, just pretend you aren’t aware of it.

Shopping for the Dead

As there will be many hungry ghosts wandering, to show respect, some believers will burn paper money for them. Out of curiosity, I checked out a local shop that sells paper money and other “paper” stuffs. I was really impressed by the variety of the items. Chinese believes the dead is having the similar lifestyle in another world, at least its their hope…

Pic: paper money, the most common offering

Pic: paper gold bars

Pic: iPad? I’m glad that Steve Jobs still carries on with his product development in another world.

Pic: paper shoes

Pic: blouse for lady

Pic: paper batik for Malaysians.

Pic: to make a female ghost pretty…

Pic: heaven doesn’t ban gambling, alcohol and cigarette I think..

Pic: paper toy for children

Pic: paper bike

Pic: paper car. Note driver included.

Pic: passport and credit card

Pic: this reminds me of the recent tragedy. Let’s pray for them. RIP…

Does everything end when we die? Imagine a baby is about to born, he cries and thinks he will leave the world (womb) and that’s the end of it. Then he meets a new world outside the body of his mother. Is death the same thing? I mean a process that transform us into another life form and live in another new world? I don’t know.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Gong of Sabah and Gong Making in Kg. Sumangkap

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Gong is the most important idiophone in traditional music of Sabah indigenous people and found throughout Sabah state. Gong is usually made of brass or bronze, it produces muffled sounds of a deep tone, when its thick and broad rim was hit by a stick. As the backbone of most music ensembles, gong is played in almost every social event in Sabah.

Pic: Kadazan Papar girls playing gong in Harvest Festival

When Sabahans want to dance, they beat the gong. When they want to celebrate wedding, they beat the gong. When someone dies, they also beat the gong. Gong is also played in other occasions such as animistic religion ceremonies, festivals and welcoming guests.

Gong is more than a musical instrument in old days without phones. Besides showing happiness and sadness, gong was also a communication tool to send signals to other villagers up to 5 miles away. The listeners can tell from the rhythm that if it’s a good or bad news. Slow rhythm means an invitation for having a drink. Fast rhythm indicates danger. When someone is dying the beats start slowly at first increase in speed and then on death resume a slow beat.

Pic: Rungus boys beating gong in longhouse

In the past, gong is highly valued and owning gong is a sign of wealth. Villagers would exchange livestock for a gong and gong is one of the common items in dowry. Gong is valued by its age and tone. People that time can recognise the unique sound from individual gong and even tell if a gong has flaw. Therefore, stealing of gong is rare, because owner (and other villagers) will locate his gong once the thief beats it.

Pic: Dusun Tindal people from Kota Belud playing gong

Pic: Murut playing gong to welcome guests

Gong is widely used by Kadazandusun, Murut and Bajau people in their traditional music. Each ethnic group has its own distinct musical forms such as the number of gong used, styles, tempos and tunings, and in combinations of other instruments such as drums to accentuate the main rhythms. A set of 5 to 12 gong is being played in most cases, sometimes it can go up to 36 gong.

Pic: Sulu Sandakan dancing on the gong

Pic: Use of gong in Betitik music of Bajau

Pic: Beating gong 1 or 7 times is a common way to launch an event by VVIP

Pic: gong as a symbol of Kadazandusun culture on building of KDCA Penampang

“If you can’t sing, you can beat a gong.” – John H. Alman

Pic: structure of gong ensemble of Murut Timugon community (Source: Jacquline Pugh-Kitingan)

There are many types of gongs, but in general gong can be divided into three main groups, namely, tawak, chanang, togung. Some gongs have interesting motif on it. Individual gong also has a name which denotes its sound or rhythm it plays. These musical names vary in different tribes.

Pic: Chanang Kimanis gong, note it has two bosses

You may play the following video to listen to the sound of gong:

Kampung Sumangkap, the Gong Making Village

In Matunggong of Kudat district, you can see gong making process at gong factory of Kampung Sumangkap (Sumangkap Village). When I entered the village, I saw no “factory” but a typical Sabah village of over 60 wooden houses, with 30 or more gong workshop scattered near to them.

Pic: entrance of Kg. Sumangkap Gong Factory

By the way, visitor is required to pay a small fee at the ticket booth near the entrance. The gong factory is open daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm (including public holiday). The following is the rate of Admission Fee (as of Jul 2014):
Adult (12 years and above): RM5.00 (≈US$1.60)
Children (6 to 12 years old): RM3.00 (≈US$1)
Children (below 6 years old): Free

Pic: trying to lift the Biggest Gong in Malaysia (or in the world?)

The highlight of this village is the Biggest Gong in Malaysia. This giant gong is 22 feet tall and weigh 980 Kilograms. Funded by Malaysia Handicraft, it took 5 weeks for 4 local gong craftsmen to make this gong from 20 pieces of 4’x8′ zincs.

There are many other big gong displayed in the field for tourists to take photos with.

Sumangkap Gong Village was inspired and initiated by a well-known local Gong craftman named Mr. Majabab @ Majabab B. Omlunru in 1968.

Pic: Gong workshop next to village house

Visitors can walk freely in the village and visit individual gong workshop to see craftsman making gong. Probably I visited on weekend, so the village was quiet and only two families busy making gong.

Before the visit, I thought I would see sweating gong-smith pounding iron next to a flaming stove, in a smokey and noisy environment. Instead, the gong makers use gas welder to melt and join pieces of galvanized iron sheets together, and occasionally using hammer to touch-up the outline of gong.

Most villagers are Rungus, the indigenous people of Sabah. Rungus is skillful in all sorts of craftwork and their women are the best weaver and handicraft maker in Sabah. They are very friendly and totally don’t mind I busybody around while they work.

Pic: a woman making the boss and base of the gong

Each gong workshop is a shop by itself. Besides watching gong making and buying gong, variety of smaller souvenirs in gong shape are available for sale on the spot. The smallest item is gong key-chain that costs only a few bucks. You also can bargain with the seller.

A complete set of gong can cost thousands of dollars. As gong is in good demand, Sabah also imports gong from the Philippines, Indonesia or Brunei. Now this village supplies 80% of gong throughout Malaysia.

You also can order custom-made gong, in the size, motif / design and wording that you specify. How cool it is to use gong as an ornamental signage for your shop / house.

Sumangkap Gong Village is very accessible but very far, it’s about 140 KM north of Kota Kinabalu city (See location map). Just follow the highway to Kudat town, after 2.5 hours of driving you will see a brown signage reads “Gong Making Factory Kg. Sumangkap” and a big gong at your left in Matunggong area (see photo above). Turn to that junction and you will reach Sumangkap in minutes.

Matunggong Gong Festival

To have more fun with gong, you may visit the annual Gong Festival of Kg. Sumangkap.

Pic: Rungus people beating gong in Matunggong Gong Festival

As an opening, hundred of gong will be beaten by villagers and tourists, making it the noisiest festival of Sabah.

The gong beating is “fire at will” style. Just beat the gong non-stop until you make all the birds within 10 KM radius flee.

Pic: tourists have fun beating gong

After the launching, there are “Queen of Gong” beauty pageant and cultural performance line up for your enjoyment.

Posts related to Gong

Music of Gong Rock

A few children discovered strange rocks on riverbank when they were swimming at a river in Tambunan. When being hit, the rocks produce gong-like sound.

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The Cursed Gong Rock

This mysterious rock laying deep in the forest and looks like a gong. Legend says it is from a cursed longhouse. It’ll bring flood when disturbed.

» Read Full Story…

Reference

“If you can’t sing, you can beat a gong”, by John H. Alman, Sabah Society Journal September 1961

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Lion, Dragon, Unicorn and “Horse” Dances of Sabah, Malaysia

Horse Lion Dance, First in Malaysia

JKKN Sabah Complex, the new landmark building of Sabah

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What is the landmark building of Sabah? 99 out of 100 Sabahans will say Yayasan Sabah Tower (officially known as Menara Tun Mustapha). For 36 years, Yayasan Sabah Tower has been “representing” Sabah. It is tall, beautiful and unique, but it is lack of true Sabah feature. Hey, KL and Sarawak have built the taller Twin Tower and Wisma Sanyan in 1999 and 2001 respectively, so this old building is no longer impressive now..

Pic: JKKN Sabah Complex

How about JKKN Sabah building? 99 out of 100 Sabahans would say, “Huh? What’s that?” Personally I think JKKN Sabah building is a marriage of modern and traditional architecture. If you are from Sabah, you would find this building somewhat familiar. Most big building of Sabah is ugly “square-square” cheap design, so I’m happy to see a new one that carries some cultural elements of Sabah. JKKN stands for Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara, a federal department (under Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia) that funds and builds JKKN Sabah Complex. Some also calls the building JKKNS Complex.

Pic: the roof that resembles Rungus longhouse

Taking a space of 1.3 hectare, JKKN Sabah Complex is constructed under 9th Malaysian Plan and opens in March 2012. The Complex costs RM20.4 Millions (≈USD6.8 millions) and over 4 years to build. JKKNS Complex is more than a landmark building though. Equipped with auditorium, studios, etc., it is an ideal place to hold small to mid scale events.

Let’s take a closer look of JKKN Sabah Complex..

At the entrance of this complex, you already can see the Sabah features at the gate.

Pic: the roof that looks like top of the Bonggi house.

Auditorium

Besides the roof, you also can find the ethnic motif of Semporna Sea Bajau and Iranun (known as tudjah and layang-layang) in the Auditorium building of JKKN Sabah Complex. .

Pic: entrance of the Auditorium

Pic: another angle of the Auditorium

Pic: ticketing counter of the Auditorium

Pic: the Auditorium has 571 seats

Pic: the annual Sabah Fest were hosted in this auditorium twice.

The slope layout of seat arrangement looks just like cinema, so the audiences in front won’t block your view.

Pic: the VIP seats

Pic: the view of the auditorium from the stage

The stage is not really big but it is good enough for most performance such as opera, as Sabah seldom has big shows with thousands of audiences.

Administration Building

The Administration Building is next to the Auditorium. Its window design is inspired by rafflesia, the largest flower in Borneo, the color glasses are imported from Australia.

Pic: the reception counter of the administration building

The spacious hall in ground floor allows you to organise mini-exhibition. It is not a problem to accommodate about 15 small booths. The ceiling is a bit low, so you can’t display huge item.

In ground floor there is a seminar room that can host 95 people.

They also have audio visual room (40 seats), dance studios, music studio, Gasing playfield and conference room.

Outdoor Stage

There is an outdoor stage for small shows in good weather.

The audiences can sit around in the open space, and even participate in your performance.

Where is JKKNS (JKKN Sabah)?

JKKN Sabah Complex is next to Penampang Road, and near to Rain Forest Park (Taman Rimba Tropika) and Sabah State Library HQ in Luyang. You may check out the location map below:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

If you want to find out more about the place, you may contact JKKN Sabah at:
Address: Jalan Tasik, KM 4, Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 88-237051, +60 88-237052
Website: www.jkkn.gov.my
Facebook: jkkn.sabah
E-mail: ruanah@jkkn.gov.my
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

Overall, JKKN Sabah Complex is a good location to organise functions. However, there is only a dozen of parking spaces available there. Usually the event organisers would advise you to park your car at neighbouring Sabah State Library, which has about 100 free parking slots after its opening hours. Another thing JKKNS needs the most is a good and marketable name. JKKN Sabah Complex is quite a mouthful and hard to memorize.

Rental Info

Their rooms, halls and studio are available for rental. Below is the price list for your reference only. Please contact them for the latest rates and booking.

	Rate per Hour	Rate per Day	Capacity
Auditorium	RM300 (≈US$85)	RM2,000 (≈US$561)	570 seats
Seminar Room	RM90 (≈US$26)	RM580 (≈US$163)	100 seats
Outdoor Stage	RM30 (≈US$8.50)	RM200 (≈US$56)	–
Conference Room	RM30 (≈US$8.50)	RM200 (≈US$56)	–
Music & Dance Studio	RM40 (≈US$11.50)	RM250 (≈US$70)	–

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Lion, Dragon and Unicorn Dance Festival of Sabah, Malaysia

Big Head Buddha

This festival is more than just lion, and you will see other characters such as Big Head Buddha. In Chinese legend, Big Head Buddha is the caretaker of lion. If lion goes naughty and loitering outside, Big Head Buddha will bring it back to temple.

In lion dances, Big Head Buddha wields his palm fan to tease or to tame the lion. His presence is to do some funny acts to liven the show.

Big Head Buddha was not that common in lion dance in the past 20 years, as overexcited boys would throw fire crackers at him. As fire cracker is banned today, I see more Big Head Buddha joins the lion dances.

Lion Dances

There is no other festival where lion dance fans can watch lion dance FREE from 3pm to 8pm. The field was crowded and everyone wanted to see lion up close, so it was a bit out of control. Lion dance is so well-received that many lion dancers in Sabah are non-Chinese.

The appearance of lion has “evolved” over the years. Nowadays, lion is more colorful, fluffy and kawaii (cute). In old day, a dancing pink lion would cause heart attack to the traditional old dudes like Huang Fei Hong (黃飛鴻).

Whatever color it is, high pole lion dance is definitely no playing matter. It is a dangerous stunt and falling is not uncommon, like what I captured in video above. A good lion dance team can bring life to their lion, turning it into an intelligent animal full of expression.

Unicorn Dance

Actually my favorite is Unicorn, which I personally call “lion on ecstasy” because of its vigorous head shaking movement, hehe.. Unicorn is a gentle and sacred animal that looks like a mix of deer and horse with colorful fur.

With funny protruding eyes and swift movement, unicorn always looks excited and highly curious, and its behavior is also very puppy-like. During the dance, it will do a lot of scratching, sniffing and exploring. Finally, it would find gold or treasure as a happy ending.

Beijing Lion Dance

Most lions we see in Malaysia are Southern Lions, mainly originated from Guangdong of China. Beijing Lion is from the north.

(Just joking. No offense.)

Usually Beijing lion dances in pair. The one with red ribbon on head is male, green is female.

Kung Fu on Stilts

The Wushu performance from Tien Nam Shi Buddhist Temple (镇南寺) of Kinarut is interesting too.

Techno 3 Princes

Techno 3 Princes (电音三太子) was one of the highlight. They were dancing in Gangnam style. I uploaded the video but YouTube kept on warning me about the music copyright, so I had to remove it. 🙁

Dragon Dance

The highlight is the Fluorescent (or UV) Dragon Dance. The dragon danced in darkness and its body is illuminated by UV light. The effect is really cool, with a touch of mystery.

The LED dragon dance by lady team (except the dragon head) also won a lot of applause from audiences.

I would like to see fire dragon, but it didn’t show up this year.

Hope you like the videos. Happy Chinese New Year to you!!!

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Unduk Ngadau 2012 (Harvest Festival Queen)

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The Beauty Queen Pageant 2012 for State-Level Kaamatan (Sabah Harvest Festival) is just over. There are 41 contestants from all over Sabah. The result is as follow:

From Left:
1st Runner-Up: Fenny Doimis Gihiban from Kota Kinabalu
Unduk Ngadau 2012: Melinda Louis from Telupid
2nd Runner-Up: Meryl Foster Paladius from Tambunan