Kamataan Festival
Pesta Kaamatan or Harvest Festival is being celebrated throughout the state of Sabah, Malaysian May annually.
It is normally celebrated by the ethnic group-Kadazan-Dusuns, as well as by other related ethnic groups in the state.This celebration will continue throughout the month of May with the last 2 days declared as Public Holidays in Sabah.The finale will be a beauty pageant known as UndukNgadau which will be held on May 31, 2017 hosted at the district of Penampang.The most easily-recognizable features of this celebration is the general merry-making, cultural performances, traditional sports, and of course, the UndukNgadau (Harvest Festival Queen) pageant.Kadazandusun community in Sabah is rich in its own unique culture. As we are all aware, belief and religion are two features that make up the culture of a nation. Kadazan ethnic group has become the largest indigenous community with a population ofmore then 25% of the total population of Sabah, estimated to be 3.5 million based on census carried out in 2015.In this aspect, focus is on patterns of clothes in this celebration. Each ethnic Kadazan have their own traditional costumes. They also have numerous musical instruments and among them the most popular being the gong, sompoton, xylophone, togunggu or togunggak, bungkau, pumpuak, sundatang, flute, Murali, tongkungon and many others.According to the Sabah Kadazan Cultural Association (KDCA), the 40 ethnic Kadazansare as follows:
Bisaya, Kuijau, Murut, River, Bonggi, Lingkabau, Bai, Tatana, Bundu, Liwan, Paitan, Tangara, dumpas, Lobu, Ngingas, Tidong, Ghana, Lotud, Rumanau, Tindal, Garo, Lundayo, Rungus, Tobilung, Daan, Makiang, Minobu, Tolinting, Kadayan, Malapi, Sinorupu, Tombonuo, Kimaragang, Mangkaak, Sonsogon, Tuhawon, Kolobuan,minokok, Sukang, Tutung
