Tawau Division  >  Semporna Town  >  Regatta Lepa-Lepa  >  LEPA Water Festival 2006

13th Regatta Lepa Semporna
LEPA Water Festival 2006 April 15 to 16
...Semporna comes to life with competition of the most beautiful traditional sailboats....
Date : April 15 - 16 2006
Venue : Semporna Town, Sabah
Organizer :1) District Office of Semporna 2) Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn Bhd
Phone : 6089-781 518/6088-232 121
Fax : 6089-781 472/6088-265 540

In 2005's Regatta LEPA, one of the VIP was Australian government pensioner Dr Dale Staraughan, who came here to enjoy the uniqueness of the water festival.

"Last year (2004), while visiting Semporna, I saw the lepa for the first time and thought this kind of festival is not held anywhere else. So, I am back here this year,...Foreign tourists will love the ambience and uniqueness of this festival,"

Balwant Singh Kler
Technical Advisor for Sri Pelancongan Sabah Sdn. Bhd.,Balwant Singh Kler, was awarded Tokoh Lepa by the district of Semporna for his years of dedication and outstanding contribution to the Regatta Lepa.

The event commemorates the use of the Lepa, a traditional boat of the Sea Bajau people. The award was presented by the Head Of State, Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah.

Colourful lepas in the waters off Semporna during LEPA Water Festival 2006. They were competing for the title of most beautiful lepa.

More than 100 of LEPA vessels went on display before a crowd of some 15,000 people including Sabah Yang Di-pertua Negri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah who launched the event.

Decked with colorful sails 'sambulayang' and topped with triangular flags 'tapis', the boats were paraded in front of the Semporna Marine Tourism Centre amid applause from the crowd.

The event is held every April and Semporna comes to life with the Bajau people's unique festival of Regatta Lepa - a festival of contesting the most beautiful traditional sailboats.

Regatta Lepa is an annual gathering of the most skillful finishing boat builders in Sabah. Bajau in Semporna have their yearly festival for remembering their old haritage. In this festival the Bajaus from different village and different island will meet. One of the competition is regatta lepa. The Bajau's show their lepa's with the different style's with colorful lepa's.

The Bajau community on the East Coast of Sabah have a very unique lifestyle – They live on Lepa and only come ashore for food, water supply and during this LEPA festival.

LEPA : In Sabah East Coast Bajau community dialect, lepa means "boat". The lepa boat is a cultural legacy inherited by Bajau people from many generations ago. The existence of lepa is believed to originate from the fishing community who live in Bum Bum Island and used by the Pa'alau people along the coast of Semporna.

Regatta Lepa : The Regatta Lepa has been celebrated every year since 1994 to commemorate the Bajau tradition of building these splendid boats. Semporna comes to life as the colorful sails take to the sea to compete for the prize of the most beautiful lepa. This is judged based on its decoration, local ethnic music and dances performed on board, sambulayang (sails) and tapis-tapis (small flags).
 

Lepa Origin : LEPA boat is believed to be originated from the Pa'alau Bajau people who live in Bum Bum Island and used by fishermen along the coast of Semporna.  The unique lifestyle and festival is a cultural legacy inherited by many generations.
 

Highlight of LEPA : The high light of LEPA event is to choose the most dazzling Lepa from the beautifully, colorfully adorned boats which are lined up at the waterfront.
On the decks are smiling dancers and musicians dressed in equally colorful traditional attires.
 

Attractions in Regatta LEPA : include sea sports such as rowboat, sailing and kelleh-kelleh (small dugout boat) competitions, lepa tug of war, and duck catching competition. Colorful cultural night performance.

Judging the most beautiful lepa :
The most beautiful traditional sailboat judged base on its decoration, local ethnic music and dances performed on board, sambulayang (sails) and tapis-tapis (small flags).

From surrounding towns and islands, they converge in thousands to celebrate the biggest day on their cultural calendar.

14th April 2006 (Friday)
 

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