WHY UNDUK NGADAU CONTEST DURING HARVEST FESTIVAL

Unduk Ngadau or beauty contest during harvest festival is being held to remember the sacrifice of god’s only daughter Huminodun. The winner of the Unduk Ngadau (beauty contest) is supposed to embody all the qualities Huminodun had that are grace, strength and bravery.


All the potential ladies will parade in their best traditional attire and knowledgeable with their traditional customs. They will be bare footed during the catwalk as a symbol of simplicity.

Unduk Ngadau contestants will be donning this foot in the future competition.

UNDUK NGADAU VERSES BODYBUILDER

It will be the first Harvest festival in the history of the festival that a bodybuilding competition is being held in conjunction with the festival this coming finale of the month long celebration.

It was reported the Sabah Amateur Bodybuilding Association would be organizing the contest at the Hongkod Koisaan KDCA in Penampang on May 31st. It will be held at the open stage on the KDCA compound and is open to all members of the association. Registration will be at 9.00 am on the competition date.



My honest opinion would be no to the competition as it will stray away from what the ‘Kaamatan festival’ is all about. The festival is suppose to thank God and the spirits for a good harvest and pray for blessings for an even better harvest the following year. Whatever it is and since the government is organizing it, they may have thought about it in a different perspective for the benefit of the visiting tourist and the like.

Well it would be very interesting to see if all the ladies fill-up the space around the stage for the bodybuilding contest as all those time in any Unduk Ngadau contest the ladies were the majority occupying the hall. No pun intended ladies … LOL. Let the ladies experience the heat when those hulks start to pose.

It will be the men turn to fill-up the hall to cheer up those beautiful ladies doing their catwalk. I bet if the entire hall is filled with the men, I must say the performance of the Unduk Ngadau would be much better.

Looking forward for the fight. I bet the ladies still prefer UNDUK NGADAU ….

SABAH HARVEST FESTIVAL OR TADAU KAAMATAN

When the Chief Minister of Sabah strike the gong to launch the Papar Harvest festival tomorrow, the celebration all over the state will begin. District level Kaamatan will start and so will villages all over the state. Merry making and the sound of various traditional instruments will fill up the air in its grandeur.

For the first timers, they will be able to view the various ethnic in their traditional finery, their traditional dance and if they are the adventurous one will accepts the invitation to dance or drink the traditional alcoholics drink, which they offered. Once you are offered the drink you must accept it as a token of friendship and respect.

The culmination of the Harvest festival is the state level, which is held for 2 days that is on the 30th May and 31st May. Here, a selection of the prettiest lady or Nguduk Ngadau will be held where all pretty girls representing each district will vie for the title of Nguduk Ngadau whereby the winner will represent Huminodun.

The Legend;

“Unduk Ngadau” owes its origin from that part of Kadazandusun genesis story, which pertains to sacrifice of “Huminodun” - Kinoingan’s only begotten daughter.

Kinoingan (God) and his wife Suminundu had a beautiful daughter Huminodun. The people of Sabah were starving, so Kinoingan sacrificed Huminodun. Out of her body came rice seeds, which grew bountifully. That's why Kadazans have beauty contests during these celebrations: an utterly unique attribute. The Unduk Ngadau (beauty queen, literally means "heart of the sun") is supposed to embody all the qualities Huminodun had: beauty, grace, strength and bravery.

Harvest Festival is not only the main celebration during the month of May but also various and interesting events that being organized by the tourism Industry. More information about the festival for the month of May can be obtained by acquiring from the Sabah Tourism Board.