Five days to go until the Kaamatan celebrations on the 30th and 31st of this month. For visitors to Sabah, this is a good time to see some of the main cultural activities in and around Kota Kinabalu. Grab a digital camera, a DVD recorder, plenty of water and sunscreen. Then just ask the hotel where you are staying at, how to get to KDCA in Penampang. That is where the main celebrations are held every year.
The Kaamatan Festival (Pesta Kaamatan in Malay) is also known as the Harvest Festival, and is celebrated in the month after harvest.
I have just visited the Thorn Tree Travel Forum, and came across this thread.
Hi, I was wondering how worthwhile it is to attend the Sabah Harvest festival activities. By this, I mean are there a decent amount of events that one could attend and does it give a good look at some of the local culture. I’m having trouble finding anything more than vague descriptions of the events online and on LP. I saw in a previous message that the final events take place somewhere near KK so that’s where I’d head to.
To attend this, I would have to leave out either walking the trails at the base of Mount Kinabalu (not interested in climbing the peak) or doing a tour down the Kinabatangan River.
Is it worth leaving out one of these two activities to see the festival?
As much as I enjoy Kaamatan, I would not recommend choosing this over visiting Mount Kinabalu or Kinabatangan River. Unless, of course, you are not that into nature. But still, most visitors come to see the nature in Sabah, and those two sites are hard to beat.
Kaamatan is interesting if you are into the culture and traditional lifestyle of the natives of Borneo. It is also great if you like photography. Trust me on this, the Kaamatan is a great photography opportunity. It is unique, colorful and is well-worth the effort.
The people of Sabah are a friendly bunch, and will expect you to take plenty of photographs. They are there to showcase their culture and costumes. So it is perfectly fine to snap away, ask questions and go into the traditional houses.
The downside is, it is going to be hot, and packed with people. Most of the activities will be held outside, and there is just no getting away from the heat indoors. You probably will not get to join in the activities and traditional games. Sometimes the organization and layout of the place might not make sense, but that is just what Sabah is like – Quirky. But above all, it is going to be hot. So be prepared.
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Photo source: www.madeinsabah.wordpress.com. This was taken in 2009, during the cultural celebration of Sabah Fest at Heritage Village at Sabah Museum.
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