The Sangtams have about 12 festivals spread all over the Calendar Year with feasting, dance, and music built around the community life of the people. Except certain gennas, all the festivals are concerned with food production, blessings and prosperity. Mongmong is one of the most important festivals of the Sangtams. The predominant themes of the festivals were mostly religious and spiritual rituals where people predominantly offer religious and spiritual rituals to the Supreme Being. The festival is observed in the first week of September every year.
Mongmong festival, which means ‘togetherness forever’, is very cautiously observed every year and stretches over six days. The object is to have a good harvest, food grains for which the villagers toiled for throughout the whole year. First, the oldest man of the village goes to the village well and he is followed by others. On the second day, the firewood is collected and stored. This day is called, “Singkithsa”. The third day is devoted to worship cooking stones by everybody and is appropriately called, “Musüyangdup”, (feeding oven). The fourth day is called “Kikha-langbi”, clearing the weeds, the paths leading to the fields, inter-village roads, village well etc. The fifth day is called “Shilang Wuba Nyumong”. On this day, the villagers pay visits to relatives, friends and neighboring villages. Also sharing of meats, drink and exchange of gifts in the form of meat take place. The last day of the festival is called “Akatisingkithsa,” from this day harvesting starts. The Sangtam Naga believed that their god is well pleased and hope for blessing from him to have rich harvest and good health in the family. However, as is obvious, life was also full of superstitions and fear. It was a constant struggle to perform all the gennas to keep the large number of spirits in a state of appeasement. The variety of sacrifices required on several occasions involving the use of eggs, chicken, pigs, dogs, bulls, and mithuns must have been very taxing for the poorer sections of society. These festivals, besides their animist way of practices certain gennas , had an important bearing on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity and even had an impact of spiritual motivation in the heart of every one.
Advent of Christianity has led to rethinking of the significance of “Mongmong” among the Sangtam community and Nagas as a whole. Today, we are faced with three challenges of festivals among the Nagas, the epoch of animist festivals, the festivals with Christian value and the festivals with post-modern fashion. Sad to say, some Christian does not encourage the Churches to play their role at some stage in festivals. Besides some practical question Churches and the religious leader are coming forward to present Christ in Culture or Christ in Festivals. The colourful presentation among the animist which was offered to Supreme Being during the festivals is now rightly interpreted as Christ in Culture. The social Theory of religion suggests that religion originated by means of social gathering. Therefore, as we observe Mongmong festival with melodious songs and music etc, led every one feel the presence of peace and unity among the family and community as a whole.
Mr. Khumjong T. Sangtam
Yangli Mission Center, Nagaland.
Mongmong festival, which means ‘togetherness forever’, is very cautiously observed every year and stretches over six days. The object is to have a good harvest, food grains for which the villagers toiled for throughout the whole year. First, the oldest man of the village goes to the village well and he is followed by others. On the second day, the firewood is collected and stored. This day is called, “Singkithsa”. The third day is devoted to worship cooking stones by everybody and is appropriately called, “Musüyangdup”, (feeding oven). The fourth day is called “Kikha-langbi”, clearing the weeds, the paths leading to the fields, inter-village roads, village well etc. The fifth day is called “Shilang Wuba Nyumong”. On this day, the villagers pay visits to relatives, friends and neighboring villages. Also sharing of meats, drink and exchange of gifts in the form of meat take place. The last day of the festival is called “Akatisingkithsa,” from this day harvesting starts. The Sangtam Naga believed that their god is well pleased and hope for blessing from him to have rich harvest and good health in the family. However, as is obvious, life was also full of superstitions and fear. It was a constant struggle to perform all the gennas to keep the large number of spirits in a state of appeasement. The variety of sacrifices required on several occasions involving the use of eggs, chicken, pigs, dogs, bulls, and mithuns must have been very taxing for the poorer sections of society. These festivals, besides their animist way of practices certain gennas , had an important bearing on the maintenance among the people of the feeling of a national unity and even had an impact of spiritual motivation in the heart of every one.
Advent of Christianity has led to rethinking of the significance of “Mongmong” among the Sangtam community and Nagas as a whole. Today, we are faced with three challenges of festivals among the Nagas, the epoch of animist festivals, the festivals with Christian value and the festivals with post-modern fashion. Sad to say, some Christian does not encourage the Churches to play their role at some stage in festivals. Besides some practical question Churches and the religious leader are coming forward to present Christ in Culture or Christ in Festivals. The colourful presentation among the animist which was offered to Supreme Being during the festivals is now rightly interpreted as Christ in Culture. The social Theory of religion suggests that religion originated by means of social gathering. Therefore, as we observe Mongmong festival with melodious songs and music etc, led every one feel the presence of peace and unity among the family and community as a whole.
Mr. Khumjong T. Sangtam
Yangli Mission Center, Nagaland.
