The ancestors were agriculturists and
the year cycle festivals are associated with the year-round seasonal agricultural
activities. All these festivals associated with sacred religious rituals and
there were strict codes of conduct for all these feasts. The major year cycle
festivals are :
LUIRA
The seed sowing festival which falls around the month s of January to March.
This feast is celebrated with great fervor at Longpi and Hundung. Longpi, befitting
their generosity, entertain their guests with lavish eats and drinks, whilest
in Hundung one can see the maiden virgin dance performance.
YARRA
This is ante-cultivation festival and it falls around the months of April and
May. Thought it celebrated by all, it is a youth festival.
MANGKHAP
Post-trans-plantation festival. This festival falls around the month of July.
During this festival the people pray for luxurious growth the crops after thanksgiving
prayer for the timely rain.
DARREO
This is a pre-harvest festival. Dharreo means the plucking of the new crop.
On this day the first crops, fishes, live-stocks and other items are brought
out for sale in the village market. It is fete day for the village. This day
specially observed in Hundung village.
CHUMPHA
This is a festival of thanksgiving for rich harvest, now gathered in the granary.
The mother performs special offerings to the God of harvest and the keeper of
the granary. While the mother performs her rituals all males are not allowed
to enter the house, hence they outside the house for the night but with lavish
supplies of eats and drinks. Because of the nature of its celebration, it is
sometimes known as the Feast of the mother or the Feast of the granary. It falls
around the months November and December.
LONGRA KHAMANG
This festival is not general in nature but the family which had a rich harvest
celebrates this festival inviting the group of the son’s or daughter’s
party who had worked in groups rotation-wise. This is a festival for giving
special treatments to the sons and daughters.
THISHAM
Thisham is a festival in commemoration of the dead. It is on this occasion that
the dance of the Dead is performed. This is the final rite performed by the
family for the dead. It falls around the month of January.
Apart from these major festivals, there some event-occasioned festivals like;
Kashong Kahao Zakhalat, a sacred ritual for dispelling pests and germs;
Maa Khungkashat, acknowledgement of the rich crop. Ears of corn are plucked
and placed at a post set apart for this sacred ritual in the house;
Mawonzai,
a feast to invoke the graceful blessings of God to human labour;
Khana Kasa,
a purification and naming feast;
Ming Kaphok, this is a title endowment
feast;
Chumsin Sa Kashai, this is the ordaining feast of the daughter-in-low
to priestess-hood, thereby endowing her with all the rights and duties of a
family mother. Prior to this, she is no allowed to enter into the granary;
Shimsak
Kasa, this is the royal or noble house construction feast;
Maran-sak
&
Tarung Khangkasang, stone or tree trunks erection feast to display
the wealth and power of the noble.
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