Moatsu Festival: Ao People of Nagaland

Moatsu Festival: The North-eastern state of Nagaland is a vibrant hilly local that is sheltered by Myanmar in the East; Assam in the West; Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the North with Manipur in the south. The state is a home for many tribal communities. Nagaland is rich in traditions and cultural heritage.

Moatsu Festival Dates:

• 2023: May 01(Monday) To May 03 (Wednesday)

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. Moatsü Mong is observed after the sowing is done. It gives an opportunity for recreation and entertainment to flex the muscles after the week long stressful work of harvesting, ploughing and sowing seeds, cleaning up the Tsubu (Wells) and repairing or constructing of houses by elders of the Putu Menden. The environment becomes vibrant and lively during Moatsu festival by peppy songs and dances on the pulsating 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 intricate part of the festival. A virtuous man who claims to have directed by the Almighty 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 praise of fighters and love with gusto.

Customs and Rituals:

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 adorn 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 bold and heroic to defend and protect them from enemies as head-hunting was practiced during their forefathers 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, nowadays the Aos celebrate this festival from August 1 to 3.

Prior to the start of this festival the village will declare 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 gratitude to the supreme power for helping the crops to grow well. They provide the best offerings to the supreme power for abundant blessings.

These festivals provide opportunities to the budding generations and village stalwarts to demonstrate their intellectual skill and physical powers.

A handful of young men hold the stage and tell amusing stories about their elders. Peals of laughter greet them and young & old jump in excitement.

These festivals are usually rounded off by a tug of war between men and women. Stories are galore that men lose to please their womenfolk. But none has refuted the argument that attracted by charm of their opponents, absorbed by their sweet songs and regaled by their very presence men lose gracefully.

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.

The festival’s meaning:

The principal aim of this festival is to invoke Almighty God’s blessings after finishing such diverse activities:

• Repairs and construction of houses by elders of the Putu Menden (Village Council)
• Marriages in spring season
• Ploughing of old and new Jhum Kheti
• Cleaning up the Tsubü (Water Wells)

On completion of all these manifold activities celebration of Moatsü Mong takes place.

How To Reach Mokokchung For Moatsu Festival

Moatsu Festival is a very popular local festival in Nagaland. This tribe festival is celebrated amidst a lot of joy and excitement among the Ao tribal population of this area. It is celebrated in Mokokchung, which can be accessed using different modes of transportation. Here, we bring you details of these modes to make things easier for you.

• Nearest Major City: Imphal
• Nearest Airport: Jorhat Airport, Assam
• Nearest Rail base: Mariani Train Station
• Distance From Imphal: 78 Km

By Air:

Deboard at the Jorhat Airport (JRH), located about 110 km away. Jorhat Airport doesn’t have excellent flight connectivity with all the prominent Indian cities. Thus, it would be best to take connecting flights from cities like Guwahati and Kolkata to reach here. After deboarding at the airport, you can book a taxi to reach your destination.

• From Jorhat Airport: 110 Km

By Train:

If traveling by train, deboard at the Mariani train station in Assam, located 80-85 km away. This station is fairly well-connected to the nearby local regions by trains. After deboarding at the station, you will need to cover the remaining distance by public transport. ·

• From Mariani Train Station: 80-85 Km

By Road:

You can also consider traveling to Mokokchung by well-maintained roadways and national highways network. If residing in the nearby regions, it would be best to board a cab or take state-run/privately run buses to reach here as per your budget. If you prefer to travel at your own pace, consider self-driving here.

• From Majuli: 145 km via Mokokchung-Mariani Road
• From Itanagar: 235 km via Mokokchung-Mariani Road
• From Guwahati: 280 Km
• From Dimapur: 199 km via NH2