Ngada Festival: Nagaland’s Cultural Feast

With low-lying hills, thick vegetation and a unique local culture, Nagaland can be a revelation for a tourist that’s stimulated by varied experiences. The harvest festival of the Rengma tribe, known as the Ngada Festival, is a wonderful excuse to undertake the excursion and is held in Kohima. Folk art forms, feasts of meat and poultry, plenty of drinks and merriment are the highlights of this celebration. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival takes place during the end of November or early December. Climatically, it’s cooler than in summer months when the humidity of the area can be a drain on energy reserves.

The Festival

The Ngada Festival is to Nagaland what Baisakhi is to Punjab; a thanksgiving for a good harvest. Festivities kick-off for eight days after the village priest declares the start of Ngada. The exact day of commencement is usually calculated on the basis of the moon’s position. It’s essential for every family of the community to stock up on grains and rations from harvested crops. The tribe is superstitious about bringing in stocks after the festival has started. Different activities are expected to be undertaken by the children, women and men on each of the appointed eight days. Ample rice beer, meats and pickles keep the community satiated and in high spirits throughout this period.

Preparing for Ngada

Travellers who are not conversant with the region will discover that this festival is quite different to what they may have experienced in other parts of the country. It’s important to understand the practices the community follows while celebrating Ngada.

The first two days are spent in preparation. On day one, many households are busy readying large amounts of rice beer for the week to follow. On the second day, the men work together to clear the forests of undergrowth and litter. Women pay respects to deceased ancestors by packaging rice beer in banana leaves and placing it over graves after thoroughly cleaning the compound.

By the third day, the ceremonial part of the festival takes off. The big day starts with the gathering of men who have a breakfast of rice beer and meat. They dress in traditional finery and make quite an impression on procession around their villages, later in the day. Women follow the procession with hollow bitter gourd containers filled with homebrewed beer. The cheerful gathering go about singing folk songs as they visit households in the village with tokens of love and brotherhood.

The fifth day is the day of the grand feast. Banana leaves, fruits, roots and vegetables are gathered from forests and cooked in community kitchens. The Rengmas believe that souls of the departed also partake in the feast, and return to the land of the dead after the meal. Shows of athletic prowess and folk performances take place after the feast. The remaining days are spent appeasing three forces the tribe fear for their potential to wreak havoc – fire, rats and malevolent spirits!

You can witness these rituals for yourself by travelling to Kohima for this year’s Ngada festival. The nearest railway station and airport are at Dimapur, connected by train to Kolkata and Assam. The last 70 odd kilometres can be negotiated by taxi. Visit MakeMyTrip.com for a combined flight plus hotel bookings.