'Kekabu' oil lamps the star attraction at Terengganu's tourism event

KUALA TERENGGANU, April 27 (Bernama) -- A demonstration of making oil lamps using fruits from the kapok tree (pokok kekabu) has attracted visitors who attended the Pelita Raya Beautiful Terengganu 2022 programme which started last Friday until last night.

Mohd Zailani Mohd Nor, 46 a farmer from Kampung Alor Keladi, Jerteh said he had brought nearly 2,500 kapok fruits to be made into oil lamps and distributed to the visitors.

"The oil kekabu lamp is the traditional way to illuminate the night. However, its use is not as widespread as oil lamps made from bamboo because kapok trees are relatively rare,” he told reporters here last night.

He said visitors had expressed their amazement after watching his demonstration of making the kekabu oil lamps as many admitted that it was the first time they had witnessed such a craft.

Mohd Zailani would use kapok fruit buds which were cut in half before he drilled them to remove the silk cotton (kekabu).

He would then fill the empty buds with oil before stuffing the silk cotton back into the buds to be used as the wick.

Mohd Zailani said not many people outside of the Besut district had the skill to make the kekabu oil lamps, adding that it is becoming extinct due to the scarcity of kapok buds.

“Previously I only made kekabu oil lamps for personal use during Ramadan and Aidilfitri.  I was surprised when the Besut District office contacted me and requested that I attend this programme to hold a demonstration to make the lamps,” he said.

He said he would think about selling the oil lamps next year as he received many requests from visitors at the programme.

The annual programme hosted by the Terengganu State Tourism Department managed to attract nearly 19,000 visitors.

Held at the Terengganu Cultural Village at the state museum complex near Losong here, the programme featured various unique and interesting replicas of oil lamps presented by each district office in the state.

Terengganu Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman, who officiated the programme last night, said more than 3,000 oil lamps helped brighten the heritage houses and compound at the cultural village during the event.

“This is one of the many special tourism events in Terengganu and the state government is confident it will be more interesting next year," he said.

The oil lamp competition was first introduced at the village level in the Tepuh state assembly constituency in 2009, which was later expanded to include nearby villages before the state tourism department took over hosting the event in 2020.

-- BERNAMA