Fairs and Festivals of Arunachal Pradesh
- Festivals are plentiful in Arunachal. Each tribe has its own festival, which provides a creative forum for expressing the distinctness of their art forms, dresses, designs, dance forms, musical instruments, etc.
- The festivals are generally related to agricultural activities like sowing and harvesting.
- There are collective rituals performed and celebrated in public by the community as a whole.
- Both women and men dance during the festivals.
- The songs of the festivals show that they are celebrated for the harmony and prosperity of the people and fertility of the land.
- The women actively and publicly participate during the time of festivals, work in the fields and engage in the trade of buying and selling goods in the market without any discrimination or insecurity.
- In recent times, the presence and participation of women in offices is also quite pre-ponderous. Some of the local festivals are—
- ‘Solung’ celebrated by the Adis in Siang and Dibang valley, ‘
- Nyokom’ celebrated by Nyishis,
- ‘Mopin’ by Gallongs,
- ‘Lossar’ by Monpas,
- ‘Dree’ by Apatanis,
- ‘Loku’ by Noctes
- ‘Boori-Boot’ celebrated by the Hill Miris, etc.
- Like the dance which takes place in all festivals, prayers and sacrifices are also common.
- The indigenous dress, which is a product of local people’s long interaction with their ecological settings, makes the festivals exceedingly lively and colourful.
- In Arunachal, Durga Puja, Vishwakarma Puja, Christmas, Baisakhi and Eid are also celebrated with equal zest and fervour, especially in urban centres like Pasighat, Ziro, Itanagar, Along, Tezu and Bomdila, where there is a visible presence of non-Arunachali population.
- A common feature of all festivals, including tribal festivals is that while the festivals may be organised by the followers of a concerned faith, people from all walks of life participate in them enthusiastically.
- This is a product of the co-habitation of innumerable tribes and sub-tribes in the region coupled with their distinct religious faiths, and above all their growing interaction with others in modern times.
Major Fairs and Festivals of Arunachal Pradesh
Siang-River-Festival
- The Siang River Festival is held to celebrate the communal harmony in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Earlier this festival was celebrated in the form of Brahmaputra Darshan Festival in Tezu and Pasighat but since the year 2005, the festival is celebrated as Siang River Festival in places like Tuting, Yingkiong and Pasighat in the month of December each year.
- It is one of the most popular festivals in Arunachal Pradesh and is an attempt to promote eco-tourism and offer a lot of adventure and fun activities like elephant race, traditional boat race, Didi – the mock war game of Mishmis, River rafting, Food Festivals, Folk dances, Cultural Shows, Hot air balloon & Para gliding and Exhibition of local model house.
- Apart from this an exhibition of handloom and handicrafts by the different districts is also held.
Pangsau Pass Winter Festival
- Pangsau-Pass-Winter-Festival is a modern day winter festival which started in the year 2007 and since then has been gaining a lot of popularity in the state.
- This festival is celebrated in Nampong which is situated in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Pangsua Pass Winter Festival (PPWF) is a three-day fest that takes place in the month of January each year.
- At this festival, the people of Arunchal Pradesh celebrate their extravagant ethnicity and perform folk dances and sing folk songs.
- Also, handicraft and handloom articles from different parts of the state are put up for exhibition.
- Along with displaying the variety of culture and tradition of Arunachal, PPWF offers a platform for the neighbouring country of Myanmar to exhibit its culture as well.
- The festival conjoins the tribes of both North East and Myanmar and gives them the opportunity to showcase their culture and traditions to each other.
Ziro-Festival-of-Music
- This festival is Arunachal’s own version of the Sunburn Festival.
- Ziro Festival of Music is the biggest outdoor music festival in the state and is the most happening event in Arunachal Pradesh as well.
- Music lovers from all over the state and the North East region gather at Ziro, where this festival takes place.
- It is a four-day festival where the music lovers enjoy the performances of international and domestic music artists.
- Folk acts from all across the North East are also organized; therefore it is a good opportunity to learn about the different cultures here.
- People make merry and spend four unforgettable days at the Ziro Festival of Music.
Solung-festival
- An agriculture festival, Solung is celebrated in the month of monsoon (July /August).
- This 10 days festival is amongst the most famous festivals in North East India, especially celebrated by the Adi community in West Siang district, East Siang district, Lower Dibang Valley district, Upper Dibang Valley district and Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
- The date for the festival is different each year and is decided by Kebang or the village council keeping the convenience of the villagers in mind and once the date is fixed the preparation of the local beer Apong starts.
- On the first day, the Indian Bison along with pigs are slaughtered in the early hours of the morning. On the second day, 1/3rd of the meat is distributed among the relatives; also a grand dinner feast is arranged for neighbours, women and children.
- On the fourth day of the festival which is also called the Oinnyad, one of family member goes to the field and sacrifices a fowl especially for ‘Kine Nane’.
- On the seventh day or Ekob, men assemble at the village dormitory known as ‘Mosup’ to make bows and arrows, which are then fastened on the doors of every house in the village.
- On the tenth and final day of the festival, village people uproot the weak plants of paddy that get spoiled by worms and insects and this process is known as Irni.
- This act is done in the hope that ‘Kine Nane’ (the Goddess) will drive away the worms and insects out of the fields.
Nyokum-festival
- Nyokum is the festival of the Nyishi tribe and is celebrated for the harmony and prosperity of the people.
- Nyokum is celebrated on the 28th of February every year in East Kemang district, Lower Subansiri district, Kurung Kummey district and Papumpar district.
- The term Nyokum came from two words from the native dialect and can be broken as Nyok meaning Land and Kum meaning People.
- It is a 2-day festival in which the Nyishi tribe enjoys singing, dancing and gathering up.
- Men and women hold hands and form a circle to perform a traditional dance.
- The major rituals are performed by the high priest and prayers are offered to the spirits to bring tranquility and prosperity to each household.
Lossar-Festival
- It is the festival of the Monpa tribe in Arunachal Pradesh and is celebrated to welcome a new year.
- Monpa is the dominating tribe of Tawang and West Kemang district; therefore one can consider Lossar as one of the major festivals here.
- Tawang is amongst the most popular tourist attractions in North East India and visiting it during the festival is indeed the ideal time.
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