The Festival

The Gaan-Ngai

Image: Eastern Mirror Nagaland

The Rongmei Naga people, like many indigenous communities, have a rich calendar of festivals deeply intertwined with their agricultural cycles, spiritual beliefs, and social life. These festivals are not merely celebrations but crucial events for community bonding, thanksgiving, seeking blessings, and honoring ancestors. While Gaan-Ngai is widely recognized as their most significant festival, several other rituals and celebrations mark different phases of their year and life.

Here are details on the festivals:

• Gaan-Ngai: This is the most important and largest annual festival of the Zeliangrong people, which includes the Rongmei, Zeme, and Liangmei tribes. Celebrated typically in December-January, it marks the end of the agricultural year and the beginning of a new one. It is a festival of light, symbolizing the victory of light over evil, and a time for thanksgiving to Tingkao Ragwang (the supreme deity) for a bountiful harvest. The five-day festival involves various rituals, prayers, traditional music, dances, and communal feasts. A significant aspect is honoring those who passed away in the preceding year, with rituals for their farewell and beautification of graves. It is also known as Chakaan Gaan-Ngai, meaning the festival of the winter season¹.

• Gaan-Shanmei: This ritual signifies the "Heralding of Gaan-Ngai." It is performed at the commencement of the Manipuri lunar month of Wakching. An elder announces the upcoming Gaan-Ngai festival by blowing the horn of a buffalo or mithun, informing the community to prepare food and drinks. This act also serves as an invitation to all deities to participate in the forthcoming festival, ensuring their blessings and presence².

• Ngai-Guangmei (or Ngaigangmei): This marks the first day or the official "coming" of the Gaan-Ngai festival. In the early morning, a ritual called Gucheng Phaimei (ginger offering) is performed at the abode of the village presiding deity by an elder of the Pei (village council). This offering is made to seek safety and protection for the entire community throughout the festival period³.

• Hoigammei: While not a standalone festival, "Hoigammei" refers to the collective "Ho-Hoing" or shouting of the gathering during certain rituals, particularly during the Rangteng Khumei (cutting of the village gate pole) ceremony within Gaan-Ngai. This shouting is done to scare away wild beasts and evil elements, followed by a period of complete silence, signifying a cleansing or warding off of negativity⁴.

• Mailapmei: This is a crucial ritual performed during the Gaan-Ngai festival. It involves the ceremonial production of new fire, either by friction of wood and bamboos or by flint. This new fire symbolizes the beginning of a peaceful and bright future and is used to cook food for the festivities, signifying renewal and prosperity for the new year⁵.

• Ngaidai: This term appears to be a general component or suffix for various festivals (-Ngai meaning festival). While "Ngaidai" itself isn't described as a distinct major festival, it is part of names like Napkaodai-Ngai (seed sowing festival) and ChakakNgai (soul departing festival)⁶. It might also be related to Ngaigangmei, the first day of Gaan-Ngai. Without further specific context, it's best understood as part of other festival names or a general term for a festive occasion.

• Tuna Gaan-Ngai: This refers to a specific traditional dance, Tuna Gaan Laam, performed by the boys and girls of the dormitories during the Gaan-Ngai festival. This dance is often performed to recognize and welcome newly admitted members to the dormitories, showcasing their integration into the community's youth structures⁷.

• Rangteng pammei: This is a significant ritual performed during Gaan-Ngai, typically on the third day or the eve of Longkumei. It is a ceremony of "reaffirmation" or "embracing the village gates," performed to strengthen and confirm the village against any inimical forces. It also serves as a reassertion of the chiefship of the head of the settler's clans, emphasizing social and administrative significance within the community⁸.

• Khunnummei: Specific detailed information for "Khunnummei" as a distinct festival was not readily available in the provided sources. It is possible this is a less documented local celebration or a ritual known by another name in broader contexts.

• Longkumei: This is the "Hill Trekking" event, observed on the fourth day of the Gaan-Ngai festival. During Longkumei, the boys, girls, and members of the dormitories trek to a nearby mountain range. This involves various activities, including singing traditional songs like Long-Luchenlu and consuming janting tam (boiled pork). The specific "offering girls" mentioned in one source might refer to offerings made for or by girls, rather than a literal offering of individuals, but the precise context is not fully elaborated in the available information⁹.

• Napchanmei: This is a ritual performed during Gaan-Ngai, where a pig and fowls are offered to Tingkao Ragwang for blessings, particularly for a good harvest and prosperity. This is often followed by feasting at the dormitories, and individual families may also perform this ceremony¹⁰.

• Rangpatmei: Detailed information specifically on "Rangpatmei" as a distinct festival was not found in the provided sources. It might be a ritual or a local variation not widely documented under this specific name.

• Bukaomei: This is a ritual referred to as the "Calling of the soul." It is listed among the various rites and rituals of the Zeliangrong community, often performed to invoke or recall souls, possibly for well-being or in specific spiritual contexts. It is distinct from major festivals but forms part of the community's spiritual practices, alongside rituals like Lankaomei (Calling of wealth) and Napkaomei (Calling of the goddess of paddy)¹¹.

The festivals and rituals of the Rongmei Naga people are integral to their cultural identity, reflecting their deep connection to agriculture, nature, spiritual beliefs, and communal harmony. They serve as vital mechanisms for preserving their traditions and fostering a strong sense of collective belonging.

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Notes

1. "Gaan-Ngai," Wikipedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaan-Ngai.

2. "THINK INDIA (Quarterly Journal) Partaking And Responsibility Of Zeliangrong Women In Gaan-Ngai Festival," Think India Quarterly Journal, accessed July 26, 2025, https://thinkindiaquarterly.org/index.php/think-india/article/download/8250/4156/.

3. "THINK INDIA (Quarterly Journal) Partaking And Responsibility Of Zeliangrong Women In Gaan-Ngai Festival," Think India Quarterly Journal, accessed July 26, 2025, https://thinkindiaquarterly.org/index.php/think-india/article/download/8250/4156/.

4. "Importance of Gaan-Ngai," Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2017/12/24/importance-of-gaan-ngai/.

5. "Gaan-Ngai," Wikipedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaan-Ngai.

6. "Rongmei Folk Festivals," Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2022/08/12/rongmei-folk-festivals/.

7. "Gaan Ngai: A Festival of the Zeliangrong Nagas," Sahapedia, accessed July 26, 2025, http://www.sahapedia.org/gaan-ngai-festival-of-the-zeliangrong-nagas.

8. "Gaan-Ngai," Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2017/12/10/gaan-ngai/.

9. "All about gaan ngai - Festival of Manipur," E-Pao, accessed July 26, 2025, https://e-pao.net/epSubPageSelector.asp?src=All_about_gaan_ngai&ch=manipur&sub1=Festival_of_Manipur.

10. "Importance of Gaan-Ngai," Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2017/12/24/importance-of-gaan-ngai/.

11. "Festivals, Rites, and Rituals of the Zeliangrong Community," Rongmei Encyclopedia, accessed July 26, 2025, https://rongmeiencyclopedia.wordpress.com/2024/05/26/festivals-rites-and-rituals-of-the-zeliangrong-community/.