Press & Reviews

Press Release - 14 November, 2006/ KSN

Top-Spinning at Little Penang Streeet Market
26 November 2006 • 10am-6pm • Upper Penang Road

How long can a top spin? Come and watch the long-spinning tops from Kelatan at the Little Penang Street Market in November. A 20-member troupe from Kelatan will stage an exciting demonstration of top-spinning and martial arts, accompanied by traditional music and a handicraft exhibition.

This traditional game of Kelantan will be a special attraction at the Little Penang Street Market at Upper Penang Road on Sunday, 26 November 2006. This is Penang’s monthly arts and crafts bazaar, showcasing Malaysia culture and handicrafts, held on the last Sunday of each month. The Little Penang Street Market will feature more than 60 vendors of handicrafts antiques & collectibles, and speciality foods from 10am-6pm.

This special attraction is sponsored by the National Heritage Department (Jabatan Warisan Negara), and presented by the Persatuan Gasing Uri Negeri Kelantan, Malaysia’s first and only top-spinning organisation, established in November 2005. The Persatuan Gasing stages a competition once a month in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, and this is the first time they will be performing in Penang. The top-spinning will start at 11am and carry on into late afternoon.

The competition features the gasing timah, which weighs 3-4 kg, has a circumference of 24 inches, and can spin for 2 ½ hours. One player will carefully wind the top and another will spin it. When the top bounces, yet another player will scoop it up and hold up the scoop with the top still spinning on it.

The arena will be consecrated during an opening ceremony by a traditional healer (bomoh/pawang), featuring supplication, incantation and glutinous rice (pulut semangat). The emcees will provide interesting narrations about the rituals, as well as the traditional games, music, handicraft and culture of Kelantan.

According to Cikgu Nazife Ismail, Secretary of the Persatuan Gasing Uri Negeri Kelantan, ‘top-spinning was very popular widespread during ‘the days of Tok Janggut’. This refers to the independence fighter who led a famous rebellion against the British but was captured and hung in 1915. ‘In those days, whoever did not participate in top-spinning would be ostracised,’ said Cikgu Nazife.

The Silat Tari is performed at wedding ceremonies, during healing sessions and as a form of self defence. The silat and top-spinning will be accompanied by music for traditional wayang kulit, featuring oboe (serunai), gong and drums such as gombak and geduk.

Spectators are encouraged to try their hand at spinning the tops and playing the musical instruments. An amateur competition among these beginners will be staged. There will also be an exhibition and sale of tops and handicrafts, highlighting special Kelantan mats made by aging crafts experts. Members of the public can learn how to tie the semutar, the Kelantanese head-dress (tanjak).

Program
• Consecration ceremony – all top-spinning players and silat performers assemble upacara membuka gelanggang.
• Silat Tari, first performance.
• Top-spinning competition, Round 1.
• Performance by wayang kulit music ensemble.
• Silat Tari, second performance.
• Information session to explain the exhibition of tops, traditional musical instruments and handicrafts.
• Spectators will be allowed to try out some musical instruments.
• Explanation about winding and spinning the tops.
• Top-spinning competition: Round 2.
• Audience participation in top-spinning and traditional music.
• Performance of the shadow puppet music.
• Top-spinning competition: Round 3
• Closing ceremony (total duration of the event is 5-6 hours).

For further information about top-spinning and the performance, please call Nazife Ismail, secretary, Persatuan Gasing Uri Negeri Kelantan, 019-959 7860, 09-7020 436.

For further information about Little Penang Street Market, please contact Adeline Ong, Tel: 012-3175498 (send an sms if line is busy) or e-mail: littlepenang@lestariheritage.net

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