By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Oct 26: A total of 1,001 hadrah players from the Sarawak Malay community here performed over 30 minutes to enter the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of participants.
The extraordinary feat was achieved at the Padang Merdeka here today, during the Temasya Warisan Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHE) 2019.
The performance involving hadrah players from Kuching, Samarahan and Lundu broke the previous record set in Pahang, which gathered 350 performers.
According to Malaysia Book of Records office manager Lee Pooi Leng, the performers made it to the record after they performed continuously from 9.00am till 9.30am.
“In fact, they continue to perform after that. What we need is just a half an hour performance from the 1,001 performers to achieve the record,” she told reporters after presenting the Malaysia Book of Records certificate in the presence of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Abang Johari said he was proud that the Malay community in Sarawak managed to achieved such feat.
“I’m very proud for this moment that we make it to the Malaysia Book of Records for hadrah performance. I hope we will continue to keep this tradition and make it alive, as it is part and parcel of our daily lives.”
He added that besides the hadrah, the Malay community must also preserve the silat to instill discipline among youths, respect for the elders and the love of their cultural and religion. — DayakDaily
