Pesta Kalimaran to be annual affair on March 31
March 31 has been set as the official date for the annual State-level Pesta Kalimaran & Ward Off Misfortune Ceremony peculiar to the Murut community, and it will be featured in the Sabah Tourism Board’s annual calendar of events, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew. .
TENOM: March 31 has been set as the official date for the annual State-level Pesta Kalimaran & Ward Off Misfortune Ceremony peculiar to the Murut community.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew announced the good news when launching the 16th Kalimaran Festival at the Sabah Murut Cultural Centre here Tuesday.
(Kalimaran is a Murut word meaning an art activity of the Murut community that is correlated with their daily needs).
“I agree and support the proposal made by Minister of Infrastructure Development, Datuk Peter Anthony that March 31st be officially named as the date for celebrating Pesta Kalimaran in recognition of its significance as a cultural event,” she said.
Speaking to reporters later, Christina, who is also Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, said Pesta Kalimaran would be incorporated into the Sabah Tourism Board’s (STB) annual calendar of events.
She was responding to Peter who said the celebration had been held since 2003 but on different dates every year.
“I will ensure that Pesta Kalimaran will continue to be upheld as a permanent event of the Murut people’s culture in Sabah,” he said in his welcome speech at the celebration jointly organised by the Sabah Cultural Board chaired by Haji Ismaily Bungsu and the Tenom District Office.
The Sabah Murut Association (PMS) recognises that there are eight main sub-ethnic groups of the Murut community, namely Tagol, Timugon, Paluan, Nabaai, Kolor, Serudong, Bokan and Tangala.
Earlier, in her address, Christina noted that a part of the Sabah Murut Cultural Centre building was getting old and needed to be repaired to maintain its integrity as a cultural centre.
“On behalf of the new State Government, I assure that the structure will always be taken care of so that it remains as a cultural attraction to tourists,” she said while calling on all stakeholders to proactively promote this place as a cultural tourism destination.
Also present were Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development, Abdul Muis Picho, Assistant Minister of Rural Development, Rasinin Koutis, Kemabong Assemblyman Jamawi Jaafar, Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Hjh Mariam Omar Matusin, Chairman of Sabah Cultural Board, Hj Ismaily Bungsu, Tenom District Officer Sungkim Rumangun and General Manager of Sabah Cultural Board, Mansur Hj Asun.