Gawai dayak is one of the cultural events tat held in Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat. It is one of the exotic event in this modern era, because it’s not only show the traditional ceremonies but also the traditional games, traditional foods and drinks and many more.
If we see from the content or the plate, gawak dayak is not purely traditional events, because it’s usually based on the development of our era. Now gawai dayak is the harvest ceremony, and it has a different name for each place in Kalimantan Barat, for example are : Hulu peoples say it with Gawai, Maka’ Dio’ in Sambas and Donge in Putusibau.
At the time, Gawai dayak is usually held in village, or locally call it Ketimanggungan. Gawai dayak has the exclusive food and beverage, for example : salika/poe’, tumpi’ (cu-cur) and many more. The food must be taken from the harvest storage, for example sauka/poe’ is taken from rice. A long of development in this era, Gawai dayak not only happen in village but also in several Bigcity, like : Pontianak and Sambas/Landak. Something that make Gawai dayak is so exotic is each year the dayakneseshow us the spectacular parade.
Gawai dayak is another name of post harvest celebration in west Kalimantan, over all gawai dayak ceremonies is the same with naik dango (also the cultural event in Kalimantan Barat). Both of them are celebrating the success of post harvest and to celebrater/to thanks the healthy and safety from Jubata (a kind of God in Dayak believing). Besides that the Dayaknese hope the Jubata can increase the agricultural of food.
Before the events held, the dayaknese reciting the mantras or local people call it with nyangahathn. There are 18 steps of Gawai dayak ceremonies, and must be started by nyangahathn, the goal is to inform and ask blessing to Jubata, hope the parade/festival will be okay tomorrow. Nyangahatn takes 3 place : on the livingroom, is to summon the spirit /soul of rice that hasn’t been returned, on the granary is to gather the spirit and the last one is on the Jars of rice, is to survive/to blessing the rice and not run out quickly
. Nyangahathn is the main step to express the religious part of Dayaknese/the symbol of religious ceremonies. There are 4 steps of Nyangahathn; matik, ngalantekatn, mibis and Ngadap Buis. Matik is to inform the family to ancestral spirit. Ngalantekatn is a hope to make all family still can be survived. Mibis is hope to make everything/something dirt can be clean and the last one is Ngadap Buis is a step to accepting the offerings (sesajen). But in this era, there is a simpliefied steps of Nyangahathn; it’s only the simpliefied pray and simpliefied offering (sesajen), this simpliefied Nyangahathn call Babamang.
Gawai Dayak is taken from myth in Pontianak. The story of Banang Kulup. This story begins with a spring of rice in the mountain’s Jubata then there is a sparrow wich was stolen and fall into the hands of Jack. Then he comeback to his home with his spring of grass and his friends laugh to him. In the end of story Jubata runaway from his village because he got married with human.
Source : Kalimantan news.com/wisata.php?idw=12
