Lom Plai Tradition and Culture Festival 2026 reinforces East Kalimantan culture

The East Kalimantan Provincial Government remains committed to strengthening the preservation of deeply rooted traditional values ​​through the 2026 Lom Plai Tradition and Culture Festival in Nehas Liah Bing Village, East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan Province.

"The Lom Plai traditional festival is not simply a celebration of thanksgiving for the harvest, but a concrete manifestation of the Wehea Dayak people's determination to maintain their cultural identity amidst the tide of modernization," said East Kalimantan Tourism Agency Head Ririn Sari Dewi when contacted in Samarinda on Mar. 23, 2026.

She explained that the series of events, which ran from March to April, is one of the leading cultural tourism attractions included in the Tourism Ministry's Karisma Even Nusantara (KEN) calendar of cultural festivals.

This annual tradition opened with the sacred Ngesea Egung procession, or gong striking, on Mar. 23 to signal the start of the entire series of rituals. The indigenous community then performs Laq Pesyai, gathering in droves to the headwaters of the Wehea River to collect forest fruits and rattan for the ceremony.

The procession continues with the Naq Pesyai Duq Min and Wet Min rituals, which symbolized the demarcation of the upstream and downstream village boundaries using woven rattan.

"The uniqueness of Wehea culture is also evident in the Ngelwung Pan ritual, where indigenous women perform spiritual rituals privately under the houses of Hepui descendants," explained Ririn.

In April, the local indigenous people begin building makeshift huts on the riverbank in the Naq Jengea tradition in preparation for the festival's main event. The culmination of the celebration, called Bob Jengea, will be enlivened by a cultural parade, Hudoq dance performances, and a river war attraction known as Seksiang.

The entire series of traditional ceremonies will conclude with the Embos Epaq Plai village cleansing ritual on April 29, 2026, to ward off bad luck and seek blessings for the upcoming planting season.

"We hope that collaboration between traditional leaders and the local government will continue to preserve this tradition as a part of the nation's intellectual heritage," concluded Ririn.