Sabah Mulls Holding Ghost Festival According to Cultural Beliefs

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - Sabah is pondering over the idea of introducing a cultural festival which will feature mythical creatures, specifically ghosts, based on the beliefs of the 32 ethnic groups in Sabah.

Assistant State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail said it was a good way to understand the way of life of the ethnic communities.

"We cannot escape myths and folktales of our communities that affect our way of life.

"Having a festival like this can clarify a lot of misconceptions, especially mythical creatures like ghosts," he told reporters after the launch of a mascot for the Sixth Sabah International Folklore Festival 2011, here, today.

The mascot known as Bal-Bal, a bird to symbolise a person with black magic, was launched by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

On the folklore festival organised by the Sabah Cultural Board, Bolkiah said it would be held on July 17-26 at the Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang, near here.

According to him, 18 international cultural troupes had confirmed their participation, an increase by five troupes from last year.

Meanwhile, Sabah Cultural Board’s general manager Datu Rosmadi Sulai said Bal-Bal was actually a form of black magic practised by the Iranun community of yore.

He said it was often confused by society as a sort of flying vampire popularly known in Sabah as Balan-Balan or Hantu Penanggal in the peninsula.

This was because a person who practised Bal-Bal, usually to engage in a battle, had the ability to fly and vanish and was also invincible, besides having a name that was almost similar to the Sabah mythical creature, he explained.

Source: http://www.bernama.com
Photo: http://insightsabah.gov.my

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