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| Sekrenyi
Festival of Angami ( Feb) |
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The Angamis celebrate Sekrenyi festival
in the month of February. It normally
falls on the 25th day of the Angami
month of "Kezei". This ten
day festival is also called Phousanyi.
After the first ceremony "Kizie"
a number of rituals and ceremonies
are performed during this festival.
A few drops of rice water taken from
the top of a jug, called "Zumho",
are put into leaves, and placed at
the three main posts of the house
by a lady of the household. On the
first day morning all male members
go
to the village well to and take bath.
In the night, two young men clean
the village well and some ofthe village
youth guard the well in the night
as fetching of water is restricted
after the cleaning. Early in the next
morning, all the young men of the
village wash themselves at the well
in a ritualisticmanner. Then they
perform the "Dzuseva" (touching
the sleeping water) ceremony wearing
two new shawls, the white Mhoushu
and the black Lohe and sprinkling
water on their breast, knees and on
their right arm to wash away all their
ills and misfortunes by the purified
well water. On their return from the
well, a cock is sacrificed by throttling
it with the bare hands. It is taken
as a good omen when the right leg
falls over the left leg as the cock
falls down. The innards of the fowl
are taken out and hung outside the
house for the village elders to come
and inspect it. A three-day session
of singing and feasting starts from
the fourth day of the festival. The
Thekra Hie is the best part of the
festival where the young people of
the village sit together and sing
traditional songs throughout the day.
Jugs of rice-beer and plates of meat
are placed before the participants.
On the seventh day, the young men
go for hunting. The most important
ceremony falls on the eight day, when
the bridge-pulling or gate-pulling
is performed or inter-village visits
are exchanged. Until the close of
the festival, no one goes to the fields
and all fieldwork cease during this
period. The young unmarried girls
with closely shaven heads sit down
with the youths and sing tunes of
bygone ages, recreating a past where
no care touched the human soul.
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| PAWLKUT(Dec-Jan) |
It is a harvest festival, which came
of some time in December or January
when the harvest work of all the crops
are over. In the past it was observed
ad celebrated in a grand scale. With
plenty of grains in the barn and all
the labours of the year over, what a
better time is thee than this to have
a grand festival was the mood of the
general people. This festival is now
substituted by Christian festivals like
Christmas and New Year.
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| Suhkuruhnye
Festival of Chakhesang (15th Jan) |
Suhkuruhnye is the most important festival
of Chakhesang Nagas and is celebrated
on 15th January. During this festival
the boys and girls are sanctified through
religious ceremonies and rituals. The
Suhkuruhnye celebrated for eleven days
starting from "Nyede". The
first day of the festivity period is
known as "Cedu". On this day
animals are killed and the blood of
the killed animals sprinkles on the
main posts of the house. The first fetched
out Suhkuruhnye wine is offered to the
deities in banana leaf tumblers and
the cooked meat and rice-beer are offered
to the High-priest and priests of the
village for blessings. The second day
is "Suhkruh" meant for men
folk. "Suhkruh" signifies
sanctification of young, innocent and
unspoiled boys for this ritualistic
ceremony. On this day every man is to
take a fresh-water-bath and is forbidden
to use water fetched by women. To perform
this ritualistic ceremony (Suhkruh)
everything new is used including utensils
and fireplace. The men folk go to the
well early morning before any animal
or bird tou ches
or partakes of the water and takes a
fresh-water-bath immediately after the
first crow of cock, which indicates
the breaking of a new day, in order
to sanctify themselves. Thereafter,
the unpolluted water, considered to
be holy, is brought home, fire is made
out of the fire making method and unblemished
cock is killed and cooked with the holy
water and eat it to sanctify the boy/boys
for the rest of their lives. Even when
a new house is constructed "Suhkruh"
is performed in order to get his house
sanctified. This whole process is called
"Suhkruh" and "Nye"
is known as festival. On this day, the
entire men folk go for community bird-trapping.
The collected birds are hung on a decorated
tip of a tall bamboo as a symbol of
"Suhkruhnye". Different kinds
of birds so caught are believed to foretell
the fortunes for the forthcoming days
of the year of the concerned individual.
The third day is called "Thuno
Nuso" which is meant for women
only. The mother performs this ceremonial
ritual to sanctify her young innocent
daughter/ daughters. "Thuno Nuso"
is much simpler than that of "Suhkruh",
they prepare an unblemished young hen
and eat it to sanctify themselves for
their entire lives. The fourth day is
known as "Muthhi Celhu" where
social feasts such as Mulelhu or feast
of social age groups, Zhotho Muza (Feast
of merit), etc. begins. This day is
set aside from religious restrictions.
The fifth day is known as "Cedu
Zhongu" which means accomplishment
of the festivals. The sixth day and
the last day is known as "Thunye
Mukra". On this day religious pursuits
are relaxed and continue feasting, dancing
and singing throughout the day and night
till dawn. With the coming of Christianity,
SUHKRUHNYE's religious and traditional
ceremonies are no longer in practice
in most of the villages. However, SUHKRUHNYE
is still celebrated with great significance
and enthusiasm mostly by the Chokris
in Phek district. During this traditional
festival the indigenous games, folk
songs, folk dance and sports fully occupy
the festive period of six days starting
from January 15 in keeping with the
Christian spirit. Suhkruhnye being a
festival of sanctification, it is also
marked as Children's Day. Water Baptism
can take place on this occasion.
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| Hega
Festival of Zeliang (Feb) |
The Hega festival is one of the most
important and the biggest festivals
amongst the Zeliang community. It falls
in the month of February fro 10 to 15
every year. It is a festival invoking
the Almighty God to shower his blessing
upon his people with richness, luck
and courage. It is also a festival of
joy, rest and get-together. On this
day, people pray to Almighty God for
protection and guidance. On this festival
young couples are united for their future.
The festival announced earlier and all
the preparations are done before- hand.
The festival begins with a variety of
programmes and merrymaking. The first
day of the festival called "Hega
Teu Dap". On this day, all the
killings of animals for the festival
are done in every household and those
who have no such animals either buy
or share with other members. On this
day itself the eldest of the family
calls all his grandsons and daughters
for a common meal to his house. Here
they shared special songs that are composed
specially for their grandsons and daughters.
The grandsons and daughters have to
wear new shawls for that special occasion.
In the evening the engage couple, especially
the bride, will present all the traditional
dresses like shawls and other garments.
Together with the boys and the elders
there will be a common gathering at
the bridegroom's Morung (the bride and
the bridegroom are included). The second
day is called "Herie Kap".
On the second day of the festival, the
gatekeeper of the main gate will have
a special and separate prayer invoking
the protection of the Almighty to the
villagers and have to shower his blessing
in all walks of life for the year to
come. After the prayer, he would go
to jungle and there also he will offer
a special prayer asking God to show
him the right tree for the sacrifice.
When it is shown to him the youth will
cut it and shape it into a Hornbill
and put it up in the main Gate with
decoration and other necessary things.
In the evening, the elders and the boys
will make noise (Nro) and go up and
down the whole village for two or three
times and at the end they will try to
pierce the heart of the wooden Hornbill.
If they manage it then it is good luck.
Richness and blessing will be bestowed
on his children. After this all men
and boys will gather in their own morung
to offer special prayer especially for
good luck in hunting. The third day
is called "Tsing Rak". On
this day early in the morning, the bride
will gather all the girls from her khel.
They will go to the jungle to cut firewood
for the evening. This firewood is split
into small pieces and the bark is also
taken out. The firewood will be fresh
only. In the meantime, the elders and
youth from the khel will go to the jungle
and cut a big tree that is shaped after
which colour is put on the two wooden
pieces showing the purity and virginity
of the bride. In the evening, the bride
will carry the two wooden pieces that
signifies her life. The firewood and
the wooden pieces are kept in the main
gate or the last gate of the village.
With these two heavy wooden pieces (ten
to twelve feet in height) the bride
will start from the gate and the rest
of the girls and boys will carry the
fire wood and follow the bride to the
girls Morung. On this night, the bridegroom
will provide food and drinks to the
girls in the Girls Morung.
The fourth day called "Rodi",
and the last day of the festival is
the important and exciting day of the
festival. Here you will see early in
the morning people putting on their
traditional dress getting ready for
the dance. The bride, together with
some of her friends will go round the
village and give bath to those who are
unwilling to join the dance. For the
bride it is the last dance in her life
(a girl married can not join the dance
again). In this dance only virgin girls
are participated. For boys and men,
whether they are married or not, they
can dance all through their life if
their health permits. The dances are
performed in the evening with different
steps and meaning. After the dances,
all the dancers will go around the whole
village singing and dancing, at some
places they will play games and sing
songs together with the bride and bridegroom.
From the first day of the festival the
eldest from each khel lights a new fire
and this elders have to take only pork
throughout the festival. Also, during
the festival, no men should sleep with
his wife for fear of losing good luck
and courage especially in hunting. On
the sixth day, elders put off the new
fire and celebrate. But the rest of
the villagers can start their work from
that day onwards with all the blessing
and luck from Almighty Good who always
care for his children
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