UNDUK NGADAU PAGEANT has been a tradition carried out since the 1960s and it is the most famous pageant/event in Sabah, especially during the harvest festival a.k.a Kaamatan Festival here.

having Kaamatan in Sabah, is like, Christmas in May here in Sabah. banners will be put up, discounts here and there for the kaamatan season and everyone's busy having their own open houses and stuff. its truly a celebration to cherish. and again, its that one day where your parents would let us young people drink from all that aramaitii sesson. aramaitii meaning, A LOT OF PEOPLE or RAMAI ORANG NI! in kadazan.

the closing ceremony of the Kaamatan Festival is the biggest of them all here in Sabah. every year, the KadazanDusun Cultural Association (KDCA) will host this big event in the Hongkod Koinsanan compound, located in Penampang, the heart of the kadazandusun community.

i went to the event yesterday at about 9am. i was told that if i wanted to have a seat in the hall, i had to come early eventhough the main event would start at about 1pm. yuck! haha.



this is only 30% of the audience. apparently, the hall was soo booked that at least 100 over people didnt have their sit so they had to stand at the corner to be apart of the event.

the pageant started of with 36 contestants from districts and sub-districts all over Sabah. one contestant on the other hand, is a representative from west malaysia. KDCA's Klang Valley branch had hosted the event there to find a representative for west malaysia. apparently, the klang valley representative is actually from PERAK. :)

so the pageant is like this.

1st stage : introducing yourself while talking in one of the local language. ie, in kadazan or dusun language.

2nd stage : doing the catwalk

3rd stage : the Q&A session

the judges evaluate the contestants like this...
40% for beauty
20% for presentation
20% for outfit
20% for IQ

from 36 contestants to 15 contestants... and finally, short-listed to 7.

in the end, only one contestant would get the crown and it was....


Jo-anna Henley Rampas of the Tuaran district.

im glad she won as she was great! she's beautiful and smart :)

anyway, more photos and reviews in my blog. go there ok?

till then, iv gtg. take care!

love,
jasmine