Regatta Lepa Semporna
The Sabah East Coast Bajau community has a unique lifestyle. In their dialect,
lepa means "boat". The lepa is usually made of Ubar Suluk or Red Seraya
wood. The lepa is a cultural legacy inherited by the 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.
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 colourful 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).
Other attractions include sea sports such as rowboat, sailing and kelleh-
kelleh (small dugout boat) competitions, lepa tug of war, children swimming
and duck catching competition. A colorful cultural night performance put on by
this community is certainly not to be missed.
Visit Semporna and witness this spectacular annual event of the Bajau
community in Sabah!
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