T

he ongoing Stabas Bay Festival 2011, organized by the West Lampung regency administration, features cultural parades and traditional performances.

Among the performances in the event, which runs from Oct. 24 to 27, are well-preserved pre-Hindu legacies, such as hahiwang, batetah, nyambai and sekuraan.

“We are also showcasing various traditional culinary specialities from West Lampung, such as sekubal and seruit,” head of the regency’s tourism agency, Arif Nugroho, said Monday.

The annual festival, the seventh since its inauguration in 2005, has been an eagerly awaited event for foreign tourists visiting the regency for surfing at the Tanjung Setia beach, primarily because of its traditional performances.

Hahiwang, for example, is a traditional literary form used among the 16 Marga Pesisir Krui customary communities that has been on the brink of extinction.

Not everyone can perform hahiwang, which is rich in moral values and messages.

Hahiwang used to be performed during ceremonies as a means of disseminating moral values to the people.

Another pre-Hindu custom is the sekuraan dance, a masked party held by traditional West Lampung people during the celebration of Idul Fitri at the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

“The tradition was practiced here in Lampung long before religion was introduced to the area. We have continued to perform it until the present day. It is still included as part of our Idul Fitri celebrations,” Arif said.

Seruit is fried or grilled fish served with a special condiment from the regency, sambal terasi (pepper paste), tempoyak (made from durian or mango) and fresh vegetables.

Sekubal, on the other hand, is a food made of sticky rice steamed with coconut milk, and wrapped in a banana or palm leaf. It is served with either chicken or beef curry, or different types or curry, and other side dishes.

Arif said the festival, which involved hundreds of people from across the regency, had been established to attract foreign tourists to the region, as well as to highlight the original culture of the regency to visitors, both near and far.

West Lampung Regent Mukhlis Basri expressed his hope that the festival would help to encourage
investment in local tourism.

“As a tourist destination, West Lampung has ‘a thousand’ sites of natural beauty and stunning panoramas to offer,” he said.