Malaysian Festivals

Kaul is a traditional festival celebrated by the Melanau fishing community living along the coasts of Sarawak. The festival is a ritual of purification and thanksgiving as well as one of the propitiation for good fortune. It is celebrated at the end of the northeast monsoon, and it marks the beginning of the Melanau New Year.



The main highlights in the event is the “tibau”, a traditional giant swing 20 feet high. Young people would daringly dive down to catch a swinging rope. This is obviously not for the faint hearted. Graceful dancers also performed at the event with their traditional alu-alu dance. Sri Ritma won the first prize with RM2,000 prize money.

Other activities included martial arts demonstrations and parade by local community leaders. It is at this event that you get to witness the many facets of the Melanau community.





The most famous dish from Mukah would be the umai dish, which is a raw fish delicacy prepared out of raw fish and consumed in the form of salad. Several different types of raw fishes are used for preparing Umai. You can either have it plain, sliced fish with spicy chili sauce or raw fish mixed with lime juice, sliced onions, chilies, sugar and salt. The other popular dish would be the sago pellet.