Kaamatan Harvest Festival in Sabah

On the 30th and 31st of May, Sabah's most important cultural festival takes place. The Kaamatan Harvest Festival is an old pagan festival that honors the ethnic Kadazan-successful Dusun's harvest, a tradition that stretches back millennia. However, nowadays, there is a greater emphasis on the social aspect of things, such as throwing a party with plenty of food, drink, and music.

Local Sabahans host friends and relatives at their homes and provide copious amounts of food and drink, while others participate in public activities. Various exhibitions are hosted in the vicinity of the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Hall (KDCA) in Penampang. Traditional dancing is performed during public occasions, with dancers dressed in ethnic clothes. Tapai and Lihing, a sort of rice wine, will be plentiful. There are also several regional cuisines to try, such as hinava (fermented fish) and bambangan (a kind of pickled fruit with yellow flesh similar to mango).

Unduk Ngadau, a beauty pageant held inside the cultural hall, has a winner declared at the end of the Harvest Festival. Local Sabahan ladies from all across the state gather to flaunt their beauty and glitz in the hopes of being proclaimed Unduk Ngadau this year, a renowned title.

When: 30 & 31st May

Where: Sabah

Highlight Of The Festival: Arm-wrestling, blowpipe shooting