Miring is performed to give honour to their Gods (Petara), Holy Spirit (Orang Panggau & Bunsu Antu) and souls of their dead ancestors (Petara Aki-Ini) whom they invited to their various festivals. If the supernatural is not fed, they will not obtain the necessary kindness in which will cause disaster.
In other words, miring is part of Iban’s folk belief system passed down from one generation to another. Miring also provides platform for community meeting where they could exchange views and share experience to achieve better life.
Miring ceremony is normally performed during the Gawai Dayak or Iban Harvest Festival, however nowadays it is also being performed to welcome important guests. Items use in a miring ceremony are anchovies, sticky rice, tuak, rendai (puffed rice or pop rice), eggs, daun apong (tobacco leaf/wrapper), betel nut set and etc.
The miring started with preparation of the food offering on a winnower with the food centreing around the number of nine such as nine hard boiled eggs and nine rice cakes. Around 6pm, the offering ceremony known as miring will take place, with ritual music; gendang rayah being performed beforehand. The feast chief will thank the gods for the good harvest, ask for guidance, blessings and long life as he sacrifices a cockerel. Dinner will then be served, while everyone talks and mingles awaiting for midnight.
Miring ceremonies had to be performed with the utmost care. If it is done wrongly, it could incur bad luck and in some other cases it would bring bad dreams to those who were involved in it or bring about visions in the day time and night time.
Miring ceremony of Iban
