India is undoubtedly, a land of festivals, with probably some festival being celebrated in some corner of India almost every day! There are festivals for every season, legend, myth, religion and even region!
Tucked away in the obscure corner of the eastern Himalayas, like the rest of India, Nagaland, a land of exotic warrior tribes too has its share of festivals. Tribes here are known to celebrate their distinct seasonal festivals with a pageantry of colour and a feast of music and dance. While each tribe holds their own festival dear, festivals are regarded as sacrosanct and participation in celebrations is compulsory.
The Moatsu is one such festival observed every year in the first week of May. It’s time for the best rice-beer to be made… the best breed of pigs and cows to be slaughtered for the feast…From eating, dancing, drinking and singing songs, the men and women folk participate heartily! The jovial mood of the festival increases with the performance of singers who sing love songs that glorify the courage and gallantry of the heroes.
An annual festival celebrated magnificently by its Ao tribes, it is a time of gaiety and recreation after the stressful and hectic work of cleaning fields, burning jungles and sowing seeds. The main aim of the Moatsu festival is to seek the blessings of Almighty God after completing various activities, like:
Harvesting of old and new Jhum Kheti
Cleaning of the Tsubü or Water Wells
Marriages in spring season
Repair and construction of houses by the elder members of the Putu Menden or Village Council
On completion of all these manifold activities the celebration of Moatsü Mong takes place. For the tribal people, the festival is marked by peppy songs and dances full of fun and merry making for six days with the Sangpangtu lasting for three days from the 1st to 3rd of May.
One of the major attractions and most symbolic celebration of this festival is Sangpangtu, which is observed during the festival. While observing Sangpangtu a bonfire is lit and men and women of the tribe sit around it. Dressed in their best traditional attire and adorned with the finest ornaments, the womenfolk of the community serve the wine and meat. They join the men folk in dancing, eating and drinking and composing warrior songs. Singing songs in praise of the lover and the village as a whole is done and the older men folk encourage the young people to be bold and heroic to defend and protect them from enemies as head-hunting was practiced during their fore-fathers’ time.
The Righteous man of the tribe, who leads his life by the guidance of the Almighty, predicts the future of the people – whether good or evil days are awaiting the village and its people.
Like other festivals, this one too has its share of customs and traditions; here every man is required to wear a new belt, for hanging his dao. While married men receive them from their wives, the bachelors are presented the belts from their girl friends. This is an occasion, when restrictions relating to dress and ornaments are relaxed. People can wear even forbidden clothing according to their will. An important role, during the festival used to be played by the youth of the bachelor’s dormitory. Before the festival, the morung (traditional communal house) had to be repaired and cleansed and the dancing drums were also put to order by attaching new skins.
On the first day of the festival, the boys belonging to the younger age-groups go to the jungle and collect six bundles of paired bamboo strips each, which in turn are handed over to the morung elders, for use according to their discretion.
On the second day, all the male members of the tribe engage in clearing the village, particularly its main approach. That night, the cows and pigs are slaughtered for the festival.
On the third day the meat is distributed among the boys of the morung and some portion is kept apart, to be given as presents. In the evening, while the boys eat the meat outside the morung, the elders come into the morung and are entertained with meat and rice-beer. While they eat the meat, the boys sing songs inside the morung.
The fourth day will have the tribes of Mongsen Khel dance in procession in all the streets of the village. On the fifth day, tribes of Chungli Khel also take part in the dance. While the women are not to take any part in these dances, they are around to serve rice-beer to the dancers at intervals. The elderly men also do not take part in the dance, but follow the dancers, singing songs. A drummer always accompanies the party and the people dance to the beating of the drums. On the sixth day, both the Khels dance together.
With over 85% population of Nagaland directly dependent on agriculture, which is the main-stay of Naga society, most of the festivals here revolve around agriculture.
In today’s modern and fast paced world, here is a serene land where its pristine environment still remains unaffected by anything of the industrialized world, and a tribal festival still celebrated with great pomp and gay abandon in keeping with their traditions.
