PETALING JAYA, May 7 — Armed with guitars, and several percussive instruments which included the kompang, a group of more than 50 youths sang loudly in the wee hours of the morning as they walked through a village.
A fun annual tradition that continues every year in Tawau, it may not be traditional as waking up to the beating of the beduk (barrel drum) but it definitely beats waking up to your regular alarm to prepare for the pre-dawn meal.
A video of the boisterous festivities of the wake-up call brigade posted to Twitter on Sunday, has garnered over 2,600 retweets and more than 2,500 likes, though it is not the first time the ‘custom’ has made its rounds on social media.
Cara orang tawau kasi bangun orang sahur? Ada lawan ka ? huhuks pic.twitter.com/GNQLc0FDCv
— ush (@daussh__) May 5, 2019
In May last year, another Twitter user @marzaa__ tweeted out the two best reasons why the fasting month is best in Tawau - the food at its bazaars and the joyous revelry of the "wake-up call."
The reason puasa di Tawau is the best.
— Mаrzee46 (@marzee__) May 22, 2018
1. Makanan kat bazaar power2
2. Cara dorang kejut sahur mcm marching band haha pic.twitter.com/exsn88sMwx
@mytawau introduced many to the proud display of the spirited youths in the wee hours of the morning in June 2017.
Twitter videos
Bangun-Bangun Sahur! Versi bt2 Sadani Jalan Apas Tawau sabah pic.twitter.com/JL1dE7UHIh
— My Tawau Official (@myTawau) June 3, 2017
Kejut #sahur ini kalilah! paling menang dorang punya instrument ni kasi bangun sahur. dari Kg Muhibah Raya jalan morrel Tawau Sabah pic.twitter.com/gCylXVRyKF
— My Tawau Official (@myTawau) June 17, 2017
Kejut sahur versi kg pukat #tawau. Mode Raya sda... pic.twitter.com/tBKay4LDCx
— My Tawau Official (@myTawau) June 23, 2017
For some, the novel and extremely loud way of waking everyone up has been adopted for its sure-fire results, such as student @affsyhmi.
Twitter video
You can hate the school but not the friends
— 16 harakat (@affsyhmi) May 6, 2019
You can against the rules but you can't against the fact that you can't go back to the old good times.
Last day sahur at maktab 😌 pic.twitter.com/R6lwimbCsi