Being part of Eastern Indian festivals is a must for every festival lover. The northeast region of India is famous for its varying cultural heritages and traditions, which lead to the wonderful blend of different, vibrant festivals. Eight states comprise this region: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura ,and Mizoram. All these states have their unique culture and festivals. All these festivals showcase rich tradition, religion, and agrarian life and serve as a great reason for people to come together and celebrate.
Below are narrated two major festivals celebrated in the region and their description. Highlighting two Bihu celebrations, one of the most revered and renowned all over Assam is Bihu. The folk spirit of Assam Bihu is the utmost important festival in Assam. Starting mid-April when the summer season starts, folk Bihu is celebrated for marking the start of the Assamese New Year. During this time of the year, farmers undergo plantation for paddy cultivation, and Assamese people have a practice of celebrating the New Year.
Bihu Festival: The Spirit of Assam
Assam’s most celebrated festival, Bihu, is celebrated throughout the state of Assam exuberantly. The Bihu festival of Assam has three different celebrations which are carried out across the year. Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu is within April roughly in the mid where assamese people welcome the new year together with the folk Bihu and the summer paddy cultivation is commenced and the farmers finished the paddy cultivation and Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu), celebrated in January with all feasting and bonfires marking the end of the harvest season.
Hornbill Festival: The Festival of Tradition in Nagaland
The tribal culture of Nagaland is one of the most vivid in India, and the Nagaland Hornbill festival held in December is dedicated to maintaining the culture of all the bigger tribes. The Festival is held at Kisama Heritage Village, located about 12 km from Kohima town, and marked by the showcasing of diverse forms of dance, music, art, and cuisine of the Naga people. It is held to promote the preservation of the perishing heritage of the ornamented tribal communities of India and named after the Great Indian Hornbill, which is sacred to Nags. People from all parts of the world come over to witness the Festival in Nagaland, where the celebration culminates with the performance of traditional Naga war dances, indigenous games, crafts exhibitions, and rock music concerts.
Moatsu Festival: This Great Vividness of the Ao Tribe
Celebrated by the Ao Naga tribe of Nagaland, the Nagaland Moatsu Festival is held in the very first week of May after thoroughly finishing sewing. This time is when people relax and celebrate through folk songs, dances, and storytelling, showcasing the valour and history of the Ao. They gather in the village to eat, do their rituals, and strengthen their state of solidarity.
Losar: The Tibetan New Year in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim
Tibetan New Year in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim Losar, the Tibetan New Year, is celebrated in high spirits by locals in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, especially members of the Monpa and Bhutia communities. This typically occurs sometime in February or March, based on the lunar calendar and the appearance of the new moon. A large part of the celebration entails visiting temples, prayer, masked dances, and feasting. Known as Torgya, this is an important one among Losar festivities in Arunachal that involves Cham dances performed by Buddhist monks to drive away evil spirits. Gangtok, the state capital of Sikkim, then comes alive with celebration and a festive vibe, with its monasteries being colorful and decorated immensely.
Ambubachi Mela: The Divine Fair of Assam
The festival is celebrated in June every year at the ancient Kamakhya Temple of Guwahati, Assam, and signifies the annual menstruation of the goddess Kamakhya. Hundreds of thousands of sadhus, supplicants, and tourists attend the fair. No one has access to the temple for three days, as it is strictly shut down for religious observance, and on the fourth day, those doors open for the worshippers. The fair in these three days is a platform for different tantric traditions associated with the temple.
Meghalaya: The Land of Distinct Festivals
A Land of Distinct Festivals Meghalaya is known for its scenic beauty and has a colorful native culture that possesses several trimester festivals, with the festivals of three main tribes (the Khasis, Jaintians, and Garos) being rightly represented. Chief among them is the Shad Suk Mynsiem, held in April in honor of the Khasi. Its very name translates as “Dance of Joyful Hearts,” so it is that young men and youth put on their finest traditional dress and perform buoyant dances to the accompaniment of drum and pipe music. This is the celebration of people’s purity and gratitude toward nature.
Wangala Festival Garo Community Festival Important Indigenous tribes celebrate Wangala, also called the 100 Drums Festival, in November by way of tribute to the Sun God, Misi Saljong, for a bountiful harvest. This festival culminates in the Wangala dance, a spectacular sight and sound in which the rhythmic beats of the drums are melded. July – Behdienkhlam: Another festival that holds enormous significance to the Jaintia tribe is Behdienkhlam.
This is to ward off evil spirits and bring the divine spirit of good harvests. The distinguishing feature of the festival includes a ceremonial procession whereby exquisitely carved wooden structures called `rots’ lead to a wonderfully local field game known as “Dat Lawakor,” in which a wooden ball is passed around much like a soccer game. This becomes an occasion for community bonding and a cacophony of merriment.
Mizoram Spring Festival: Chapchar Kut
This festival in Mizoram is celebrated with much pomp and grandeur in the month of March when it really marks the finishing of jungle clearing for the next cultivation cycle. This festival of music and dance is also a feast where people have been seen wearing the traditional attire of the Mizo and performing the Cheraw dance, or what is popularly known as the Bamboo Dance. This evokes a wide appreciation from the audience, as the rhythmic movement and synchronized stepping show the Mizo way of life quite clearly.
Conclusion
The festivals of North East India could be as vibrant and splendid as they are in the great desolate incorporative experience into the life of the diverse cultures, traditions, and spirituality in this region. From the agrarian celebrations of Assam, the tribal extravaganzas of Nagaland, and the monastic festivities of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the state contributes to this diverse, rich cultural tapestry that comprises some unique indigenous festivals like Meghalaya. These festivals are nothing but a manifestation of the people’s value system and a call to travelers to witness their joyful partaking. It can be said that those who want an unusual cultural excursion will witness the mystery and long-standing tradition of North East India in its festivals.