| The
festivals are mostly related to agricultural operations. The important
thing about the Naga festivals is their corporate character.
The community
as a whole participates in the celebrations. There is a definite programme
stretching over a specified period in which all the village folk join.
Moatsu
Among the Aos, the most important festival is Moatsu, which is celebrated
after the sowing is over. The festival last six days. On the first night
of the festival sexual intercourse was forbidden. Every man was required
to wear a new belt, for hanging his dao. The unmarried men received belts
as presents from their girl friends, the married men got from their wives.
During this occasion, the restriction relating to dress and ornaments
were relaxed. People could wear even the forbidden ones according to their
will.
The most important role, during the festival used to
be played by the youths of the bachelor's dormitory. Before the festival,
the morung had to be repaired and cleansed. The dancing drums were also
put to order by attaching new skins. On the first day of the festival,
the boys belonging to the younger age-groups used to go to the jungle
and collect six bundles of paired bamboo strips each. These they handed
over to the morung elders, for use according to their discretion. On the
second day, all the boys and grown-up males engaged themselves in clearing
the village, particularly the main approaches to the village.
That night,
the cows and the pigs to be slaughtered on the occasion of this festival
were tied outside the morung. On the third day, the cows and the pigs
would be killed. The meat was distributed among the boys of the morung
and some portion was kept apart, to be given as present. In the evening,
the boys would eat the meat outside the morung. Later some old men would
come to the morung and would be entertained with meat and rice-beer. When
they would eat the meat, the boys would be singing songs inside the morung.
On the fourth day, the people of Mongsen Khel would dance in procession;
in all the streets of the village. On the fifth day, the people of Chungli
Khel would dance similarly. The women were not to take any part in these
dances, but at intervals they served rice-beer to the dancers. The old
men also would not dance, but follow the dancer, singing songs. A drummer
always accompanied the party and the people would dance to the beatings
of the drum. On the sixth day, both the Khels used to dance together.
|
