Fairs and festivals

Dree Festival is the most famous agricultural festival of the Apatani in Ziro Valley, found in a beautiful area of Arunachal Pradesh. Every year on July 5th, a day is set aside for the beginning of the sowing season. Ritual slaughter and nonblood offerings are also given for the great hope of an…

Ali-Ai-Ligang is, perhaps, the prime festival of the Misings, marking the beginning of the sowing season. It falls in February and consists of several rituals to invoke blessings for a good harvest. "Gumrag" dance is danced by the young boys and girls, which narrates themes of…

The Podi Barbi Festival serves as the grandest harvest celebration across the communities of Adi, Ramo, Pai-Libo, and Bokar in Arunachal Pradesh as it happens in December, typically for a week, and it makes a thanksgiving offering for a successful harvest and seeks further blessing so that there…

The Sarhul festival marks the Bhumij tribe's New Year, coinciding with the flowering of the sal tree, a significant event for this community primarily residing in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district. The name 'Bhumij' signifies 'born out of the soil,' reflecting their deep…

The Karma festivity is a crucial monsoon festival celebrated by the Oraon (also known as the Kurukh) in the month of Bhado (September) after the sowing of seeds and just prior to harvesting. Peculiarly agricultural in its approach, the festival seeks Deity Dharmes' sanction to safeguard crops…

Nabrangpur is home to an agrarian community known as Bhottada. Believed to be the original settlers of Barthagada, the Bhottada are today settled in several villages of Nabrangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Malkangiri districts of Odisha. It is Celebrated by the entire village, there are many reasons…

The celebration of Meriah is an annual event, in which each clan village takes turns to host the celebrations. A village therefore may host the Meriah at an interval of 3 to 5 years, or even more. In the past, the Dongria Kondh practiced human sacrifice during the festival. The British put a stop…

The Dharua community, primarily settled in Malkangiri, Koraput, and Nabarangpur, celebrates the Pus Punei festival, a weeklong harvest celebration held in the lunar month of Pus (December-January). The festival begins on Tuesday with the ritual of Diali Jatra, where village men prepare a bamboo…

The Bishri Ossa festival is a week-long annual celebration of the Paudi Bhuyan tribe, primarily residing in the hilly regions of northern Odisha. Dedicated to Bishri Thakurani, a protector and village deity believed to ensure the community's welfare, the festival is observed between November…

The Sohrai festival is a significant five-day celebration of the Santal tribe, residing primarily in northern Odisha, typically held at the onset of the winter harvest in October-November. Rooted in their agrarian lifestyle, Sohrai is dedicated to honoring cattle, vital to their farming…