The story
Erau Festival in Tenggarong
Erau traces its ceremonial roots to the thirteenth or fourteenth-century founding of the Kutai Kartanegara kingdom, traditionally performed at sultan coronations until the last royal staging in 1965. Revived in civic form from 1971, it is now tied to Tenggarong's founding anniversary of September 29, 1782, held around September along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, reenacting genuine historical sultanate ceremonial practices.
Legend traces Erau's ceremonial roots to the thirteenth or fourteenth century founding of the Kutai Kartanegara Ing Martadipura kingdom and the inauguration of its first sultan, with the word Erau itself derived from the Kutai term eroh, meaning crowded, noisy, or joyful.