Naga festival to be held in two places next year

The traditional Naga New Year festival for next year will be held in Khanti and Layshi, according to the Naga traditional cultural committee. 

  Numerous Naga tribes are spread throughout the north-western hills of Myanmar. Most of them are from Chin State, but many can be found in such places as Khanti, Layshi, Lahel and Nanyun in Sagaing Division. Usually held in January rotationally in Lahe, Layshi, Khanti and Nanyun, the Naga New Year festival brings all Naga tribes of the entire region together to celebrate their harvest and pray for a good new year.  During the festival, they also make plans for the coming year and discuss how to overcome difficulties. They come together to pray for abundant crops and domestic animals and to have good weather. 

  “In previous years, the festival was held in only one place. But for 2015, we will hold the ceremony in two places simultaneously. The government sponsored ceremony y will be held in Layshi and the Naga tribes will hold their ceremony in Khanti from January 14 to 16.  In the past, we had to hold this ceremony sponsored by the state. Now in the open era, I think Naga tribes should celebrate their own ceremony with Naga spirit. Then only, the Naga can value its ethnicity,” said Shu Maung, an official from the Naga traditional cultural committee.

He added that in the olden days, Naga New Year festivals were held depending on its location, climate and harvesting time. 

Formerly headhunters preserving the heads of their enemies as trophies, the Naga tribes are expert craftsmen. Each tribe has a different way of constructing their huts. A common practice among all the tribes is decorating the entrances of their dwellings with the heads of buffaloes. The Naga people love color and this is evident in their shawls and headgear. The designs on the costumes are unique to each tribe.

Folk songs and dances are essential ingredients of the traditional Naga culture and it is through oral tradition that folk tales and songs are kept alive. Naga folk songs are both romantic and historical, with songs narrating the stories of famous ancestors and incidents. There are also seasonal songs which describe various activities done in a particular season.