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| Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at Kisama on Tuesday. Telegraph picture |
Kohima, Feb. 25: War cries
reverberated at Naga heritage village Kisama, some 12km from here, as
thousands of people in Naga traditional attire welcomed the princess of
Thailand.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is on
an official three-day visit to the state beginning today, attended the
inaugural day of Sekrenyi festival, the premier festival of Angami
community, which begins every year on February 25.
Thousands of men and women dressed in rich
Naga attires lined the way from the entrance to the culture arena at
Kisama to welcome the princess. She witnessed a Naga cultural programme
apart from trying out the local cuisine. She also sipped zutho, a
local rice beer, which is highly sought after by the non-Naga
communities. Various Naga tribes performed a Naga unity dance.
The organisers of the festival, Southern
Angami Public Organisation, hosted a lunch for the princess, where she
tasted the delicious cuisine of the Angami community, especially pork, a
favourite among the Nagas.
Welcoming the princess, chief minister
Neiphiu Rio hoped that her visit would strengthen ties between Thailand
and Nagaland that had improved over the years. He said the Nagas and
Thais were similar in many ways — in terms of food, society and culture.
He said the improved ties would give a boost to the Centre’s Look East
policy and ties with other Southeast Asian countries.
Thailand’s ambassador Harsh Vardhan
Shringla accompanied the princess. A host of ministers and top state
officials attended the celebrations.
The Angamis are known for their Sekrenyi celebrations. The festival follows a circle of rituals and ceremonies, the first being kizie. A few drops of rice water taken from the top of a type of jug called zumho are put on leaves. The lady of the household then places these at the three main posts of the house.
On the first day, all the young and old go
to the village well to bathe. At night, two young men clean the well,
which is then guarded by some village youths as no one is allowed to
fetch water after it has been cleaned. Hence, women must ensure that
water for the household is fetched before hand.
The next morning, all the young men of the village attend the washing ritual. They wear two new shawls (the white mhoushu and the black lohe) and sprinkle water on their chests, knees and right arms. This ceremony is called dzuseva
(touching the sleeping water). The well water symbolically washes away
all their ills and misfortunes. On their return from the well, a rooster
is sacrificed. It is taken as a good omen when the right leg falls over
the left leg as it falls down. The innards of the rooster are then hung
outside the house for the village elders to inspect.
A three-day session of singing and
feasting begins on the fourth day of the festival. The most interesting
part of the festival is the thekra hie, during which young people
of the village sit together and sing traditional songs throughout the
day. Jugs of rice beer and plates of meat are placed before the
participants. On the seventh day, the young men go hunting. The most
important ceremony falls on the eighth day when the bridge-pulling or
gate-pulling is performed and inter-village visits are exchanged. All
fieldwork ceases during this season of feasting and music.