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Fairs and Festivals Of Nagaland
Moatsu
Among the Aos, the most important festival is Moatsu, which is celebrated after the sowing is over. The festival lasts for six days. On the first night of the festival, sexual intercourse was forbidden. Every man should wear a new belt for hanging his dao. The unmarried men receive belts as presents from their girl friends; the married men get them from their wives. Before the festival, the morung had to be repaired and cleansed. The dancing drums were also put to order by attaching new skins.
Sekrenyi
The principal Angami festival is the Sekrenyi. It is celebrated in February by the Western Angamis and in December by the Southern Angamis. This festival is celebrated to ensure the health and well being of the community during the coming year. It is an occasion of great merry making, enormous quantities of rice-beer and pork are consumed.
Sankarni One of the major festivals of the Zemis is the Sankarni Puja, which coincides with Shivaratri. Single boys and girls join in the Sankarni puja, which lasts over a week. Chanting songs, they smoke, eat and drink to their hearts content. The Hornbill Festival Though not a traditional Naga festival, this interesting tourist festival is put together by all the tribes to show- case Naga culture, handicrafts, and cuisine. All the tribes perform a variety of cultural items. In the evenings, musical concerts and other entertainment programs keep the people in a festive mood. These concerts cater to the needs of all music lovers as it includes gospel, rock, metal, country, pop, and western. Tribal architectural styles and house patterns of different Naga tribes are on show. The Apex body of each tribe called the Tribal Hoho, take pride in constructing their Morung-the Boys Dormitory where the values of life are imparted. In these dormitories, each tribe attempts to depict their original lifestyles. Monyu - Phom
Moatsu Mong - AoThe Ao Tribe invoke the Almighty God's blessings after finishing their diverse village activities such as construction and repair of houses, roads, marriage, sowing of seeds in the fields and cleaning of the village water ponds. It provides the people a period of recreation after the strenuous jobs have been completed. Vigorous songs, dances, and merrymaking mark the festivities. The womenfolk make the best dresses for themselves and join the men folk in dancing, eating and drinking wine. Songs are sung in praise of warriors, their lovers and the village as a whole. The theme is to encourage the young warrior to be bold and heroic and to bless them to keep them safe against their enemies – a tradition handed down from the headhunting days. One of the symbolic celebrations is Sangpangtu where a big fire is lit and women and men sit around it feasting and drinking. The people go out for renewing old friendships and making new ones. The Aos invite delegates from the neighboring villages and exchange gifts to renew traditional friendship. This helps in the strengthening of traditional bonds and result in peace and harmony. |
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