Miss Grand Malaysia 2020 Jasebel Robert has unveiled the stunning national costume that she will be wearing at the National Costume competition of the 8th edition of Miss Grand International being held currently in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 25-year-old Jasebel will be enthralling viewers in a gold, red, and silver ensemble inspired by the traditional dance Mak Yong and iconic dancer Khatijah Awang. The outfit has been designed by Ain Mohamad and is complete with a headdress.
Jasebel took to her official social media as she introduced her costume, “Presenting to you our Malaysia’s national costume! It is inspired by the Mak Yong dance theatre and will be named ‘Mak Yong – The Legend of Khatijah Awang’. The costume designed by Ain Mohamad from Kelantan and possesses intricate details that reflects our cultural heritage. Mak Yong dance theatre was declared as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005 because of its dying practise in Malaysia. In the olden days, Mak Yong is a Malay theatrical dance performed for entertainment and healing ceremonies mainly in Kelantan.”
“My first impression was just in awe with the detailing of the costume. My headgear has the details of the Twin Towers and Tugu Negara [National Monument] too”, she said. Currently in quarantine, the stunning Malaysian beauty will be performing with the other contestants next Wednesday.
The traditional dance, which has Thai origins, was named a ‘Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ by the global heritage body UNESCO in 2005. Up until the 1920s, the dance was performed for entertainment and spiritual purposes in the Kelantan state as people also believed that watching the dance could heal ailments.
In 1991, however, the Kelantan government placed a statewide ban on Mak Yong performances due to its ‘un-Islamic’ elements. The ban was lifted in 2019 to promote the performance as part of tourism campaigns.
The national costume competition will be held on 24th March 2021 and the preliminary competition will be held on 25th March 2021. The final event will be held on 27th March 2021 at Bangkok’s SHOW DC Mall and Entertainment Hall where Valentina Figuera Miss Grand International 2019 from Venezuela will crown her successor.