Pekan: The Pahang Heritage Festival 2025, which concluded yesterday, was not merely a cultural showcase but also served as a platform to highlight the legacy of arts, culture, and heritage, ensuring that they remain alive in the hearts of the people, especially the younger generation.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the festival was organized by Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja and spanned seven days, beginning on September 1st at the Tunku Azizah Royal Craft Village in Pulau Keladi. It brought visitors closer to heritage arts from Pahang and other regions, including Sarawak. The Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, expressed delight at the large turnout, with nearly 100,000 visitors from both domestic and international locations.
Her Royal Highness, who is also the founder and chairperson of Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja, extended appreciation to all parties contributing to the festival's success, such as the Pahang Museum and the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia). She noted the initial uncertainty about the festival's reception but expressed gratitude for the substantial attendance, with nearly 70,000 visitors by the fifth day.
Tunku Azizah mentioned that the festival was initially planned as a biennial event but might become an annual occurrence due to the overwhelming response. The event featured participation from Trkiye and three ASEAN countries-Laos, Indonesia, and Singapore-and generated RM1 million in sales from craft products and traditional food.
The festival emphasized the importance of preserving the nation's artistic heritage for future generations, with initiatives undertaken through Yayasan Warisan Tunku Azizah and Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja. Tunku Azizah highlighted the need for appreciation of Pahang's rich crafts, including weaving, carving, food, dance, and music, to prevent their disappearance.
Furthermore, Tunku Azizah expressed appreciation to the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, for his continuous support in preserving and promoting the country's heritage and traditional crafts on an international stage.
Visitors had the chance to participate in various craft workshops such as block batik, hand-drawn batik, clay batik, linut batik, tie-dye fabric coloring, woodcarving, metalwork, mengkuang weaving, telepuk (gold leaf craft), gerus, kelingkam, and ceramics. The festival also showcased silk thread weaving from Laos, sirma embroidery from Trkiye, natural dyeing from Indonesia, and pineapple fiber and kenaf crafts from Singapore.
A highlight of the festival was a cooking demonstration by Tunku Azizah, accompanied by a cooking competition for school students.