Chizokho Vero
Kohima | October 31
Minister for Planning & Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs TR Zeliang today said peace and harmony is requisite for speedy development. “Nagas are passing through a very crucial period. We are being caught between nationalism which is gradually giving birth to so many evils like conflict and confrontation, factionalism and tribalism and the exigent needs to take development ahead without interruption so as to make our state a better place to live in,” the minister said. He was addressing the celebration of Chaga Gadi festival here.
This thanksgiving festival is celebrated after the harvest starting from the last part of the tenth lunar month every year. During the festival, men observe abstinence from any relationship with females, and known as “Aliam,” showing the highest degree of honoring women. Girls are given a treat with complete rest and feast called “Aliukuang-kan.” For men folk, this becomes a period of purification for luck to accomplish all manly tasks. ‘A time when our social and personal life is under the grip of fear and anxiety, festivals give us an occasion to relax and refresh our mind thereby helping us to escape from the monotonous and dull moment of life, and to think better’, Zeliang said.
Occasions like festivals should not only provide a platform to showcase tradition and offer fun and merry-making but should also give the opportunity to develop peaceful and cordial relationship with one another, the minister said. He appealed to the people to strive to harness peace and social harmony out of the festivity. Zeliang asserted that the DAN government was making all out efforts to promote activities and programmes that will bring development to the state and improved the living standards of the people.
Tribal festival is also considered as one important area of concern, Zeliang said. “The government has been a partner in organizing various tribal festivals and other related cultural extravaganzas which aimed to boost state tourism industries, create more lively and vibrant environment for the people, especially the youths,” he said. Today, the minister said, with the advent of Christianity, festivals are no longer celebrated by performing rituals like the forefathers used to. Celebration is more of an occasion only to showcase “our rich and unique culture and traditions in line with the Christian principles”.
People celebrate festivals for different reasons- some to invoke God’s blessing before harvest or after sowing, some for fun and merry making and some for both. However, with so many changes taking place in this world people are changing even their style of celebrating festivals. In addition to fun and merry making, people have started using festivals to dream and vision, to challenge and motivate people with innovative thoughts and bring about what they can be best conceive or formulate to benefit the masses.
Perhaps, he said, festivals these days have become source of many new ideas, which in turn has help the people for better living.
The minister also said that the history of any ethnic tribe cannot exist without culture and traditional background. In this area, he said, the Zeliangrong people are fortunate to have meaningful art and culture ‘with colorful dresses, dances, folk songs landed down to us by our ancestors and our dances perform together with meaningful songs carry significance of interesting history or poetry, besides war dance’.
He strongly observed that “if we can harvest these potentials of culture and traditions, we can surely make our land a place of tourist destination from different parts of the globe.”
The minister also said preserving and keeping culture alive has also become a need of the day especially for two reasons: firstly, he said, maintaining own unique identity, especially at time when many tribes and races are losing theirs because of the vigorous assimilation into culture of other races. Secondly, with the growth of global tourism industries, rich and colorful culture like the Nagas’ has become a resource pool for revenue and income generation by making their land an attractive tourist destination, he said.
Chairing the function, Neiba Newmai said the Liangmai celebrate Chaga Gadi honoring womenfolk for their prominent contribution in sustaining the family.
