Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 4
The Signal Phom Union Dimapur celebrated Monyiü, a spring festival of the Phom Naga, at Phom colony on April 4. Regarded as the most important traditional festival of the Phoms, before the advent of Christianity, it was observed after the sowing season to pay obeisance to the gods for a bountiful harvest. It also marks the onset of summer. Like any Naga traditional festival, it is characterised by merry-making.
The celebration today was graced by MLA S. Pangyu Phom as the chief guest with G. Hukugha Sema, Joint Commissioner, Income Tax, Kolkata as guest of honour. Phom, in his address, spoke of the importance of keeping alive one’s cultural identity. “Be proud of one’s cultural heritage,” while stating that renouncing one’s culture is equivalent to disowning one’s identity.
According to him, the Phoms as a community should set a precedent for peaceful co-existence. Recalling the establishment of Phom Day and the subsequent pledge to maintain peace in Phom land, he said that the Phoms as a people is a peaceful community, who have a declared objective towards peaceful co-existence.
On politics, he said that it is “weapon for development provided we know how to use it.” The people should not be misguided for the sake of political gains, he added.
