The Assam Government led by Chief
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has declared Ali-Aye-Ligang, a Spring festival of
the Mishing community, as a holiday in 10 districts of the State on February 14.
The 10 districts are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur,
Sonitpur, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Majuli and
Charaideo.
Further, the State Government offices
and educational institutions within the jurisdiction of these districts will
remain closed on the occasion.
Know More About Ali-Aye-Ligang
Ali-Aye-Ligang is a festival celebrated
by the Mishing tribe to mark the beginning of the harvesting cycle on the second
week of February.
The Mising community is the
second-largest tribe in Assam, and a segment of the community also inhibits the
land of Arunachal Pradesh.
The phrase Ali Aye Ligang is derived
from three words – Ali denotes the root & seed, Aye denotes the fruit and Ligang
denotes the beginning of sowing.
Thus, the festival commences with the
ceremonial sowing of paddy, and the celebration lasts for five days.
The five-day festival is celebrated in
the community house of the villages called Musup or Murung Okum.
Traditionally, the head man of each
family or the village head marks the beginning of the festival by sowing seeds
in the eastern part of their respective fields, after cleaning a small patch of
land with Yokpa and decorating with Peero and Sipag Onno, along with Apong, Purang,
Take and Si-Pag.
During the ceremonial sowing of seeds,
they offer prayers to their forefathers, Sedi Melo, Karsing-Kartag, Do: Nyi-Polo,
to bear witness to the sowing of seeds and bless them with good harvest for the
season.
After the sowing ritual, the celebration
commences with the traditional dance, Gumraag Soman, performed by the youths in
the community. The dance pays tribute to mother earth for her bounty.
Meanwhile, the women serve local wine to
all participants and guests of the feast. From the second day of the festival,
the youths of the village visit every house and perform Gumrang Soman, while
offering prayers for a prosperous year.
The final day of the spring festival is
celebrated with much splendour, as the whole community gathers for a lavish
feast.
Many local cuisines are prepared on the
occasion, including a special cuisine called Purang Apin or Tupula Bhat
(wrapped boiled rice in special leaves), which is specially prepared during
this festival.
NE Watch Desk
