''Aoleang Monyü'' or simply ''Aoleang'' is a festival celebrated by the
Konyak Naga
The Konyaks are a major Naga ethnic group native to the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. They inhabit in the Mon District, which is also known as ''The Land of the Anghs''. The ''Anghs''/''Wangs'' are their traditional chiefs whom they ho ...
people and is held in the first week of April mainly in the
Mon District
Mon District () is a List of districts of Nagaland, district of Nagaland, a state in India. It is the third-largest district in Nagaland in terms of area. The district has a population of 250,260 people. Mon, Nagaland, Mon Town is the headquart ...
of the Indian state of
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...
.
The Aoleang festival differs from the more famous
Hornbill Festival
Hornbill Festival is an annual festival celebrated from 1 to 10 of December in the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. The festival represents List of Naga tribes, all ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the ''Festival of F ...
, which is arranged to preserve the cultures of all the different tribes in Nagaland. While Aoleang festival is an authentic tribal festival arranged by the Konyak tribe only.
Dates of festival
The Aoleang celebrates the arrival of spring and prays for a good upcoming harvest. The celebrations are held in the first week of April and coincide with the start of the Konyak New Year. However, dates can change as the festival is celebrated in villages across the district with no defined schedule. You have to ask around about where and when events are taking place when you get there.
Konyak
The Konyak people are the largest of 17 officially recognized tribes in Nagaland and are the most well known due to their past tradition of
head hunting
Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim. More portable body parts (such as ear, nose, or scalp) can be taken as trophies, instead. Headhunting was practiced in historic times acr ...
. The Konyak people are found in the Mon region of Nagaland and in neighboring
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
making these places the best to witness the Aoleang Festival. Konyak Naga people can be identified by their tattoo faces and they mostly known for their headhunters past. The f
estival is one of the most important festival from other festivals.
Celebration
The Festival celebration is spread across a week. The main purpose of the Aoleang is to welcome in the spring and new year and to pray for a good harvest. During the Aoleang many rituals take place including dancing, feasting and sacrifices that are meant to appease the divine spirits in order to bless the land with a good harvest.
The first 3 days of the Aoleang festival are called ''Hoi Lah Nyih'', ''Yin Mok Pho Nyih'' and ''Mok Shek Nyih.'' These days are spent preparing for the festival by weaving traditional cloths, collecting the animals that will be sacrificed and preparing food and rice beer for the festival.
The fourth day, known as ''Lingnyu Nyih,'' is the most important day of the Aoleang in which all the members of the Konyak tribe dress up in their best colorful traditional tribal clothes and jewellery. The fourth day is the most interesting to watch as the whole day is spent dancing, singing and feasting as a community and the indigenous dances that they perform symbolize the tribe's history as headhunters.
The final two days of the festival are called ''Lingha Nyih'' and ''Lingshan Nyih.'' This time is dedicated to spending time with family and cleaning the whole village and also individual houses.
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See also
* List of traditional Naga festivals
The various Naga people, Naga ethnic groups have their own distinct festivals.
List
The group-specific festivals are:
Inter–ethnic festivals
To promote inter-group interaction, the Government of Nagaland has organized the annual Hornbill ...
References
{{ReflistExternal Links
Aoleang Monyu Festival 2023 of Konyak Naga
Festivals in Nagaland
Mon district