Most Beautiful Lepa
彩 船 節2018
25th Regatta Lepa Festival
18 - 21 April 2018
Semporna Town
LEPA RAHUNIN
HJ SANUNGAN BIN IMAN BULUNGAN
PULAU OMADAL UTARA
Semporna town comes alive once a year during a colourful festival.
This festival attracts more and more people from the nearby islands and villages.
and Chinese tourists
Welcome to Semporna Town歡迎來到仙本那
彩 船 節 2018
25th Regatta Lepa Festival
18 - 21 April 2018
Semporna Town
4th Day (last day) of
25th Regatta Lepa Festival 2018
, a popular event showcasing the tradition and ...
Bajau Laut (Sea Gypsies)
The Bajau Laut people are known as ‘Sea Gypsies’ due to their nomadic, seafaring
way of life on Celebes Sea
Children love to spend time out to swim and dive like their expert elders.
Bajau Laut community has been living in Borneo hundreds of years.
For the festival, they come onshore with boats colourfully decorated.
And excited city people comes to selfie with their boats
In 2016 Semporna recorded 100% increase in tourists arrivals...
...222,000 people visited.
This year will be even more.
Colorful decorated traditional Bajau's Lepa boat called Lepa Lepa.
decorated with colorfull Sambulayang flag
In Malaysia they may be found in Mabul, Bohey Dulang, Sibuan, Maiga, Mantabuan,
Selakan & Omadal
For these 4 days of festival, they come ashore to explore new excitement and funs
...while the Chinese preferred to flock to their islands...
...for new excitement and funs of the marine world
The Regatta Lepa is Sabah state festival in celebrating Bajau people's wonderful
customs and traditions
The islands are losing young people in great numbers
Educated generation migrated to the mainland.
Lepa Festival is also an opportunity for children to explore discover new environments.
The Bajau are a colorful, festive and musical people
Festival is over
Sea Gypsies returning to their islands...
...in the vast Celebes Sea...
... where they feel free and happier.
"Bajau girl playing recorder on sea"
Inspired by her recorder, this video adopted recorder background music
INTERNET DOWNLOADED MUSIC CREDIT
Recorder and Ukulele Music by:
1- Nea and Miro
2- Karen and John Keane
3- Arseni Kramarenko and Rita Solovjova
4- Arthur Diniz
2018
25th Regatta Lepa Festival 2018
20 – 22 April 2018 Friday to Sunday
25th Regatta Lepa 2018, Semporna Town, Malaysia
20 - 22 April 2018
The Regatta Lepa Semporna is an annual event in Sabah that pay homage to the lepa; a traditional single-mast sailing boat of the Bajau of Semporna. A flotilla of colourful boats dot the Celebes Sea as they compete for the title of ‘Most Beautiful Lepa’. The celebration continues with various cultural performances, the Lepa Beauty Pageant, cultural performances, fireworks display as well as traditional and contemporary sports and games.
How to get to Semporna...
Regatta Lepa Festival 2018 would not be cancelled
Sabah State Assistant Minister of Finance Datuk Ramlee Marahaban said the rumours about Regatta Lepa Festival 2018 being cancelled was incorrect.
Ramlee said Regatta Lepa Festival would continue as usual and would not be cancelled, delayed or combined with other programmes.
“This festival will be celebrated as usual in April, just like the previous years. It will also be implemented even if the date falls during the 14th general election.
“Regatta Lepa Festival will stand on its own and it will not be combined or changed with other programme as alleged by the opposition,”
Sabah State Assistant Minister of Finance
Datuk Ramlee Marahaban
The Borneo Post (Sabah)
1 April 2018
