By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, March 30: A 188-foot long dancing fire dragon is expected to be among some of the popular features during the Seng Ong Kong deity’s birthday procession, to be held from 3.30pm to 10pm tomorrow (March 31).
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng said more than 200 troupes will participate in the procession, setting a new record for the event.
He said apart from the Seng Ong Kong deity of Kuching, statues of other deities from outside Kuching have also arrived to participate this grand annual street parade.
“The procession is gaining traction and we hope one day, it will be as grand as that of Johore.
“This event involves all races in Sarawak where different races sent their troupes to participate. We hope for it to be an event not only celebrated by locals, but also tourists,” said Wee during his weekly ‘ShallWeeTalk’ streamed live via Facebook today.
He said Sarawak has been celebrating its multiracial and multi-religious nature as seen in the Seng Ong Kong procession, and this has been made possible due to the presence of a stable government and its effective leadership.
“Sarawak is in the process of nation building. While we are building Sarawak, all races need to work hand in hand. There should be no internal squabbles.
“Sarawak used to be thought as part of Kuala Lumpur. Many didn’t know where Sarawak was. And even when we introduced Sarawak, we described it as a State next to Brunei or Sabah. But that is no longer the case; we have put Sarawak on the world map,” said Wee.
Meanwhile, due to the sheer size of the procession, Wee cautioned Kuching residents against heading downtown tomorrow afternoon so as to give way to the parade, which will start from 3.30pm onwards. — DayakDaily
