Dayaks ready for Gawai celebration under ‘new norm’
MIRI: The Gawai Dayak this year would be very different from those celebrated in previous years, in that it would be the first to be observed under the ‘new norm’.
According to Legacy Teresang Dayak Club founder Ugik Jalit, 2020 would go down in history as the year when the Dayaks would be celebrating the harvest festival only with close family members within the compound of their houses, instead of at the large gatherings that they were used to attend in past years.
“This is how we all should celebrate a festive occasion during this pandemic, in line with the government’s mission of breaking the Covid- 19 chain of infection and keeping us safe.
“I know many are frustrated that we cannot visit our friends and relatives this year, but this is the new norm as our fight against Covid- 19 is not over yet,” he said in his Gawai Dayak message released yesterday.
Ugik said many Dayaks, especially those living outside Sarawak, had to cancel their trips back to their home towns and villages for Gawai, and resign to the fact that due to Covid- 19 and the enforcement of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), they had to remain wherever they were at for now.
“We must accept this with an open heart; we need to accept that this is for the best.”
However, not everything was bad, said Ugik.