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By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Aug 4: While the men challenged each other to arm wrestling on the main stage of the Belaga Regatta 2023, the Kayan ladies were seated off-stage in 10 groups of three.
They were eagerly waiting for their cigarette rolling competition to begin.
In two minutes, they had to roll as many cigarettes as they could with the Kayan tobacco in their respective containers.
At first, the time limit was only one minute, but after some negotiation, the contestants managed to convince the judge to give them more time.
As soon as the whistle went off, the ladies got busy. Some took their time perfecting each cigarette while some others worked their fingers as fast as possible.
The cigarette rolling and ‘payu usu’ (arm wrestling) traditional games were being held simultaneously, leaving onlookers very much entertained.
Prior to that, there was even a tug of war match, in both men and women categories.
Supporters of respective teams shouted words of encouragement and cheered the participants on.
The men’s category ended pretty quickly while the women’s category was quite a spectacle. Both sides were neck and neck until one of the teams lost their grip and lost.
Amid all these, speedboat racers were zooming on the Rejang River with sports fans watching from the Belaga Waterfront under the shades of trees, tents and umbrellas.
The weather was blazing hot today, but that did not stop the festivalgoers. For the entire day, roads in Belaga town have been fully packed with cars and congested with people.
All the inns and hotels are fully booked. Coffeeshops are crowded with people drinking beers and cold drinks to counter the insane heat.
Games and water sports aside, the Belaga Regatta also offers over 50 stalls selling local snacks, cordial drinks, barbecued and fried foods, toys and balloons for the kids as well as fashion accessories.
At night, there are cultural performances and musical competitions. The list of events seems to be going on and on, like the people visiting the Belaga Regatta.
There are a few more days to go until Aug 6 and more fun awaits. — DayakDaily
