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| Pesta Kaul - Boat Flotilla |
Kaul
(or Pesta Kaul) is the Melanau annual "cleansing" when traditionally,
uninvited spirits and other bad influences were escorted out of the
village by a flotilla of boats, and ceremonial offerings of food,
cigarettes and betel nut were set on the Seraheng (decorated pole) at
the river mouth.
Originating from the animistic beliefs traditionally held by the Melanaus, the Pesta Kaul is held annually in Bulan Pengejin (The month of the Spirits) of the Melanau Calendar, which is usually in March or early April, as a purification and thanks giving to appease the spirits of the sea, land, forests and farm. It coincides with the end of the Northeast monsoon, once a time of hardship when the sea was too rough to fish and the villages often suffered from flooding. Traditionally, Villages would be palei or taboo for days before Kaul. No one was allowed to leave or enter, and people underwent purification ceremonies during Kaul. The celebration of Kaul concluded with a communal picnic at the river mouth, followed by a return to the village and again three days of prescribed restrictions.
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