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Moatsu Festival
About Moatsu Festival

The Moatsü Mong festival is celebrated by the Ao people of Nagaland, India. Moatsü Festival is celebrated in the first week of May every year. Various customs are performed during this period. The Aos observe Moatsü Mong after the sowing is done. The festival gives them a period of leisure and amusement after the hectic work of clearing fields, burning jungles, sowing seeds, cleaning up the Tsubu (wells) and repairs & construction of houses by elders of the Putu Menden, extending over a week.

The Moatsü festival is marked by peppy songs and dances. The entire festival is full of merry making and fun is observed only for three days from May 1 to 3. During this festival one of the symbolic celebrations is Sangpangtu, where a big fire is lit and men and women sit around it putting on their complete best attire, the womenfolk serve the wine and meat. Village witch doctors forecast whether good or evil days are awaiting the people and the village by readings of the celebration of the Moatsü festival. This festival was also marked with ritualistic public fornication of a young virgin and a teenage boy to mark the fertility of the land at the time. This ritual was stopped since the arrival of Christianity to the land.

One of the tribal communities, "Ao" tribe celebrates Moatsu Festival in the first week of May, every year. Various rituals are performed during this period. The environment becomes exciting and dynamic during Moatsu festival by peppy songs and dances on the lively music by the tribal men and women.

The joy and fun of festival continues for full three days. The ritual called Sangpangtu in which camp fire is lit and the well-dressed folks sit around it are served wine and meat forms an elaborate part of the festival. A virtuous man who claims to have directed by the enormous forecast about good and bad days of natives and village.

Best rice-beer is prepared and the best breed of pigs and cows are slaughtered for the feast during the festival. The women folk and men folk enjoy the festivity by participation in eating, dancing, drinking and singing songs in honor of fighters and love with passion.

The main aim of this festival is to appeal to Almighty God's blessings after finishing such diverse activities:
1) Repairs and construction of houses by elders of the Putu Menden (Village Council)
2) Marriages in spring season
3) Ploughing of old and new Jhum Kheti
4) Cleaning up the Tsubü (Water Wells)
On completion of all these manifold activities celebration of Moatsü Mong takes place.

 
Customs and Traditions

The natural customary practice of the forefathers was competing in making the best rice-beer and rearing the best possible pigs and cows to be slaughtered during the festival. The women weave the best of traditional garments and decorate themselves with all their finery. They join the men in dancing, eating and drinking and composing warrior songs. Singing songs in praise of the lover and the village as a whole is done and the older men encourage the young people to be brave and heroic to defend and protect them from enemies as head-hunting was practiced during their fore-fathers time.

During this festival one of the symbolic celebrations is Sangpangtu where a big fire is lit and women & men sit around it. The best women serve the best wine and meat and make merry. Forecast is made by the righteous men who live by the guidance of the Almighty to see whether good or evil days are awaiting the people.

Aos have another festival called Tsüngrem Mong. It is celebrated in the eve of the harvest. However, now a days the Aos celebrate this festival from August 1 to 3.Prior to the start of this festival the village will announce the Süngküm (Village Gate) closed and free entry or exit is restricted and regulated for people who do not belong to that particular village.

Parties of old and young wearing their colourful costumes sing songs and perform dances to express their appreciation to the supreme power for helping the crops to grow well. They provide the best offerings to the extreme power for abundant blessings.These festivals provide opportunities to the budding generations and village stalwarts to reveal their intellectual skill and physical powers.

A handful of young men hold the stage and tell entertaining stories about their elders. Peals of laughter greet them and young & old jump in enthusiasm. These festivals are usually rounded off by a tug of war between men and women. Stories are in abundance that men lose to satisfy their womenfolk. The only defense offered is that men have to pull uphill and the women downhill. Whatever the spirit behind this sport it is a treat to see and an honour to participate.

 
Main Attractions of Moatsu Festival

The peppy dances and songs, Sangpangtu, the big fire with men and women sitting around it with their best dresses and sumptuous food!

Moatsu festival is one of the most keenly awaited events in the small but vastly beautiful state of Nagaland. Making the entire state lively with its exciting festivities, Moatsu Mong festival is celebrated by Ao tribe of the state. The main idea of observing this festival is to invoke God's blessings.

First week of May comes alive every year with homecoming of this festival once again as this is the best time for merry making, singing and dancing. Though traditionally, this festival is a six-day long affair, these days, it has shrunk to only three days. However, the fun of festivities is not reduced in anyway. It is still celebrated with same feeling, vigor and joy as it used to be earlier.

History of Moatsu Festival

This is a kind of harvest festival like many other festivals celebrated all over India since India is mainly an agricultural country. This festival is a time to relax completely as this is observed after completing all the heavy and laborious tasks of sowing grains, constructing and repairing houses, cleaning of village ponds (Tsubu) and more tasks. Even though times have changed, the days before the festival are still filled with hectic activity and people are very busy.

Though the festival is celebrated in the whole Nagaland, the main place of all the important festivities and events is Chuchuyimlang village. Even people from different places in the country come here to enjoy the festival. This is the time for the outsiders to have a ringside of view of Naga lifestyle. Nagaland Tourism is considering promoting this festival as a national event.

Celebration of Moatsu Festival

This is big annual event and deserves complete makeover of the homes, people, moods, minds and all. So, people gear up for the festival by cleaning and decorating their houses, shopping for new things like decorative, clothes, etc. And the biggest attraction of the festival, rice beer, is brewed in large quantities. Moreover, for the big festive feasting, pigs, fowls and cows are fed to make them fat. People get together and visit villages in groups, distributing gifts among lots of singing, dancing and feasting. The eulogies sung to honor the traditional heroes are among the distinctive attractions of the event. The big fire, Sangpangtu, is the symbolic representation of the event. Around this fire men and women sit in their best clothes and eating delicious food. One more thing that is unique about the event is the estimate by a learned person, who by the guidance of the God, foretells about the good and bad days that may affect the village.

Many tradition and rituals are the part of this festival. Everyone is relaxed for a week, refreshes their body, mind and soul to take up future tasks, and challenges in the year ahead.

 

 


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