Festivals of Arunachal Pradesh

October 8, 2016 October 8, 2016

Here are some of the key facts about fairs and festivals of Arunachal Pradesh.

New Year festival of Monpas, celebrated in Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh and is most important festival of the Tawang District in Arunachal Pradesh.

Six day long festival of Idus to appease deities who control the peace and prosperity of the people.
It is celebrated for two times viz. in Feb-March and in June-August. In Talo, Amru, and Dri villages of the Dibang valley, it is celebrated during monsoon. Idus in other places celebrate the same in spring.

This is an agricultural festival celebrated in April-May after the Jhum fields are ready. It is marked by a rite called Choekar by the village communities to invoke supernatural power protection of their crops.

This is a monastic festival held in January generally. It signifies the destruction of evil spirit and harmful forces and seeks the rule of prosperity and happiness amongst the people.

After Solung, Mopin is another important festival of Adis.
It is celebrated to get rid of natural calamities diseases, effects of evil spirits and for good harvest and for the heath, wealth and prosperity.
Mopin is the name of Goddess of welfare, peace, wealth, prosperity and wisdom is propitiated in grand celebration.
Smearing of rice powder on each other faces marks the beginning of the festival.
The popir dance is the most popular dance during the festival.

Tamladu Festival is mainly celebrated by the Digaru Mishis tribe.Tribal people pray to the God of the Waters and the God of the Earth for protection against natural calamities.
Jebmalu, the supreme-Lord is worshipped for the prosperity and welfare of human being, the standing crops and domestic animals.

Khan festival is an occasion for the gathering of people besides the usual festivities, the significance of the festival lies in the ceremony whereby the priest ties a piece of wool around everybody’s neck. It is believed that the enchanted thread will bring good luck to each of them.

Sangken festival, is an occasion to bathe the images of Lord Buddha ceremoniously.
Sangken festival also heralds the new year and people sprinkle water on each other as a sign of merriment.

Celebrated in the 4th month of the lunar calendar, the Saka Dawa festival marks Gautam Buddha’s achievement of Nirvana.
This month marks the birth of Lord Buddha, his attainment of supreme enlightenment and his passing into the state of nirvana. It normally falls in the month of May. This occasion is celebrated with much fun and gaiety.

The Dukpa Tse-Shi Festival celebrates the preaching of the Four Nobel Truths at Sarnath by Buddha.
It falls in the 6th month of the Lunar calendar.

Ojiyale is the most popular festival of wanchos. It is celebrated from March to April, for a period of 6 to 12 days interspersed with prayer, songs and dance.
Villagers exchange bamboo tubes of rice beer as a mark of greeting and goodwill. Pigs’ skin is offered to the village chief as a mark of respect.

A religious festivals of the Monpas, this is a get together sort of festival which is observed after the completion of sowing of seeds between the 5th and 6th months of Monpa, Lunar calendar.
In this festival the villagers go to the Gompa in their traditional dress. The function is graced by the oldest member of the village.

It is a seven day festival of Adis who prepare rice beer and store plenty of meat and vegetables for the joyous occasion. Adi or ‘Bangni-Boker lhoba ’people are the major collective tribes living in the himalayan hills of ‘Nyingchi’ prefecture in Arunachal Pradesh.
To mark the celebrations, people perform various rituals and make offerings to gods and goddesses during the celebration and pray for a bumper harvest.
During the celebration, Mithun (Great Indian Bison) which is considered as holy animal and occupies an important religious significance among the Adis is sacrificed.
People present gifts of meat and Apong (rice beer) to neighbours and relatives on the occasion thus cementing family and social relationships.
The festival also reflects care and protection of animals which are vital components of their family and social life of Adi tribe.

Myokoh is the most highly solemnized community festival of the Apatani tribe and is purely a religious ceremony, celebrated in March.

The Boori Boot festival is exclusively performed by the Hill-Miris. Boori Boot means to get together irrespective of age, sex, caste to hail the spring and successful harvest.
The festival also invokes the spirit of Boori Boot to bless them with prosperity and free from diseases of any kind.The festival usually falls in February.

It is the most significant festival of the Tagins and is celebrated in January. Si signifies the earth and Doni is the sun. They believe that, the sun, the moon, the earth and the natural elements around them play a vital part in their day to day functions.
Si-Doni festival is celebrated collectively and cannot be performed individually due to huge expenditure involved.

In August every year, this festival celebrates the worship of goddess of crops called Nyokum. It is marked by ritual sacrifice of dogs, pigs and chicken.