KUCHING: This year’s Gawai Dayak will be just a ‘semadi nadai’ occasion for farmer Tusen Milos from Kampung Pueh, Sematan.
“No ngabang, no family gathering. This year we will be having a simple and moderate Gawai,” said the 48-year-old man when met by New Sarawak Tribune at his farm in Kampung Pueh today.
He said the preparation for the occasion this year would be not be lively as in previous years.
“Since we are not allowed to ngabang (make Gawai visits) this year, we decided to just buy essential items.
“Usually during the festive season, we are busy shopping for biscuits and cookies to serve our guests. In the longhouse, the people are busier as they are more preoccupied with preparing the Gawai rituals,” he said.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, Tusen said the public has no other option but to contend with a different kind of celebration.
“This time around, we will not be able to organise open house. I had to stay at home when the movement control order (MCO) was enforced.
“Imagine I could not see and monitor my crops daily for almost one month like how I used to. The first and second phase of the MCO was really tough for me,” he added.
For Tusen, the economic impact due to the pandemic, was part and parcel of life.
“Fortunately, the easing of movements under the third phase of the MCO enabled me to back at my farm. Although the production is not as much as before, at least, with some revenue coming in, I can buy new clothes for my children,” he explained.
He agreed to the need to comply with safety measures during the celebration, saying it was important for people to embrace the new norm.
“Practising social distancing is necessary and personally, this is for the good of everyone in order to stop the spread of Covid-19 virus,” he added.
The father of five children remained optimistic that celebrating the harvest festival amidst Covid-19 pandemic and conditional movement control order was a blessing in disguise. “What is important is the spirit of the festival. In fact, this year we bake our own cookies, not like previous years where we just buy and serve to our guests,” he quipped.
