Festivals In Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh an Introduction :

Arunachal Pradesh, the land of rising sun, is the north-eastern most state of the Indian sub-continent.

Tagin Family during Si-Donyi Festival Celebration.

It shares the international boundaries with the neighboring countries like China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal. It has the abundance of natural flora and fauna, it supports a large number of  medicinal plants and within Ziro valley of Lower Subansiri district 158 medicinal plants are being used by its inhabitants.

Aruanchal Pradesh is one of the linguistically richest and most diverse regions in all of Asia, being home to at least 30 schedule tribes(ST) and possibly as many as 50 distinct languages in addition to innumerable dialects and sub dialects thereof for which they have different festivals that they celebrate.
Some of them are mentioned below.

Nyokum :

 Nyokum is a festival celebrated by the Nyishi tribe of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is celebrated in February month of the year. It may lasta upto two to three weeks. The Word Nyokum has been derived from the combination of two words - Nyok means land (earth) and Kum means collectiveness or togetherness. Therefore, the Nyokum festival may very well be interpreted as inviting all the Gods and Goddesses of the universe, with the Nyokum Goddess as the principal deity, to a particular venue at a particular time. The festival is commonly celebrated by the people from all class and walk of life for better productivity, prosperity and happiness of all human beings on earth.

Nyishi women dancing on the occasion of Nyokum

Significance :

The festival has a close link with cultivation. The Nyokum goddess, the goddess of prosperity is invoked for her blessings so that there may be more and more production of food-grains in the next harvesting season, that the visit of famine may be warded off, and that drought or flood may not hamper cultivation, nor should any insect or animal destroy plants and crops. The Goddess is invoked so that the human race may be strengthened and regenerated. All should be free from unnatural death due to accident, war and epidemic.

A Nyishi Boy in his traditional attire

Ui or Oram Nyoko is the place meant for the life after death. It is also believed that there are numerous deities and spirits on earth. These are the deities and spirits of mountains, rivers, forest, animals crops, household and so on and so forth. Some of the spirits are benevolent and others are malevolent. The Nyishi believe that human being's can live a life of peace and prosperity on this earth only when a perfect harmony is maintained between man, God and nature. They also believe that prosperity and happiness can come to a man when God and nature are pleased. Misery, hardship and natural calamities like famine, flood, drought, earthquake, epidemic, warfare, accidental death and such unwanted incidents occur due to the displeasure and wrath of the God and Goddess of nature. It is, therefore, the Nyishi worship to propitiate the benevolent Gods and Goddess to protect and bring prosperity to them and to ward off the malevolent spirits from disturbing the peace and tranquility in their life, Nyokum Yullo is one of such propitiation.

Nyishi men after the sacrificial ceremony in Nyokum

Rituals performed :

The main prayer structure of the Nyishi is made of bamboo, called the yugang. Alongside the yugang sacrificial animals are tethered. Like cows, mithuns, and goats. Often one finds small chickens hung from bamboo poles of the yugang. The nyubh or the traditional priest specifies the number and kinds of animals for sacrifice, or any other offering to be made. There are no idols in this worship. Neither is there any permanent structure. Besides the animal sacrifice, beer made from millet seeds and rice paste is used.

The main Nyishi Yugang

People turn up wearing their traditional clothes during this time. The men dress in a cotton peri robe draped from the shoulder and reaching the thighs. From their neck hangs a variety of bead jewellery necklaces. Often semi precious stones like turquoise adorn these necklaces. The men's attire is topped by a bamboo woven cap on the head. This cap is decorated with feathers or furs of wild animals. The beak of the hornbill is a favorite ornament for the traditional cap but nowadays wooden made hornbill beaks are woven with the cap due to dwindling in the numbers of the hornbill bird. The women also dress in their finery of par ej, earrings bead necklaces, topped with a headdress made of finely scarped bamboo.

There is singing and dancing before the head priest or nyubh comes with his attendants to perform the main ritual. Guests are welcomed with rice paste powder, and opo or millet seed beer which is scooped in dried gourd ladles. The song and dance are performed in a group. Usually men and women hold hands in a circular form and sing and dance these lines Nyokum bo tapa debe. And sometimes men dance mock fights with dao (short sword) and shield made of animal hide.

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Si-Donyi:

Si-Donyi is celebrated by one of the major tribes of Arunachal Pradesh known as Tagin.

It is celebrated in the month of January every year, this marks the beginning of a new year.

Literally means 'Si' means the life bearer mother Earth, and 'Donyi' means the life giver the Sun, that is 'Si-Donyi' means Earth and Sun.

A Tagin Nyibu

This festival basically is a harvesting festival, in which the whole community celebrates together and the sun and earth are worshipped along with other deities and sacrifice of two Mithuns (Gayal) are conducted with the warding off of the evil spirit. The high priest, Nyibu recite certain hymns known as ‘Uyu Barnam’ that calls the spirit who is responsible for causing the problem. Offering of a white chicken, which can be of any gender is made to ‘Nonyi’ on the peak of a high pole in a ceremony known as ‘Donyi Meli Pinam'.

A Tagin Couple

Then sharing the meat of the sacrificed Mithun is done amongst the people. Also, rhythmic dances such as Ane Chungne, Achi Riabu, Takar Ghene and traditional folk dances like Konyi Bokar and Hoyi Penam are also performed in the celebration to please the Si Donyi. It is also observed for the well-being of the community and mankind as a whole.

Tagins are the inhabitants of Upper Subansiri and can also be found in West Siang district.

(Some more phtos of tagin community)

Tales Behind the Festival:

There is a reason behind the celebration of Si-Donyi festival by the Tagin tribes.

Folk tales told by the fore fathers tells that, once human beings  where so arrogant and selfish that they forgot everything about being a human.

A Tagin women in her traditional attire

They started practicing evil deeds and made imbalance to the chakra of life. They didn't cared about the mother nature and went against her. So in order to put them in track the Sun God and and the Earth God brought in some serious natural calamities like famine for many years. Humans where dying one after another.

Then one day a Nyibu (a priest) started chanting hymns day and night finally got the call from the gods and gods guided him what has to done, so nyibu was answered by the gods and then he made the call for the celebration of Si-Donyi festival. Actually it was a ritual to please the gods for the communal harmony.

Further more festivals are yet to come.....stay updated for more....