Amongmong Festival is one of the most important festivals of the Sangtam community of North East India. The tribal community belongs to the state of Nagaland and has been its prominent residents for ages. Sangtam tribe celebrates twelve festivals related to grain production all round the year and this festival is the pre-harvest festival.
Time of Celebration
Amongmong is celebrated in the first week of September every year. It is a six day long festival where a lot of deities are worshipped with enthusiasm. Three special stones called the cuisine stones are placed close to the sacred fireplace by the tribal people. This signifies prosperity, wealth and good harvest of the tribe.
Why it is celebrated?
All the six days of the festival have a separate name and significance. People of Sangtam tribe celebrate this festival during the harvesting of crops to ensure good yield. The worship of the deities signifies that good health, growth and harmony will prevail among the tribe all throughout the year.
Eve of Amongmong
On the eve of the 6 day long festival, some rituals are performed by the village priest. Firstly, he announces about the festival in the night and on the next day he reads the festival declaration in front of the whole tribe. He continues his announcement so that the spirit of the dead breaks up from the living people of the tribe. The villagers arrange for food, firewood and special wines like Madhu and Rohi.
Rituals of the Six Days
- Singkitshaa marks the beginning of the festival and is the first day. On this day, the ritual is to buy domestic animals or make any kind of transaction related to them. Finally, the ritual will end with the villagers gathering and preparing the food for the day. Food is gathered from the old fields along with firewood.
- On the second day, all the domestic animals that were purchased the previous day are sacrificed. A part of the meat is kept for utilizing in the feast. The remaining portion is distributed among the members of the Athiru and the Akhingru group.
- Musuyangtap is the third day of the festival where the oldest woman of the tribe performs the rituals. She places the three cuisine or oven stones near the fireplace and worships them. The three stones represent Lord Lijaba. Rice balls are placed on top of the stones and wine is poured on them. Villagers drink, dance and indulge in merrymaking.
- Kikha Langpi or the fourth day witnesses the men of the villages cleaning the area. All the houses and pathways are cleaned to bring wealth and prosperity. After cleaning, these men feast at the house of the priest with meat and wine. Cotton, red chilies and ginger are placed in the green leaves and spread across the crop fields by the married women. The ritual is done to protect the crops from calamities.
- Shilan Wuba Nyunong marks the fifth day where villagers visit each other’s home and gift meat. They also share food and drinks as a ritual.
- Akatisingkithsa marks the end of the six day long festival. On the last day, the villagers worship their house and local deities for good harvest in the year ahead.