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SÜHKRÜHNYE : It is the most
important festival and is celebrated
on 15the January. During the
festival the boys and girls are
sanctified through religious
ceremonies and rituals. As a matter
of fact, “SÜKHRÜHNYE” covers eleven
days starting from “NYEDE” and
within the five days including
“NYEDE” necessary preparations are
made for the rest of six day of
festival period.
The first day of the festivity
period is known as “CEDU”. On this
very day animals are killed and
every house hold sprinkles the blood
of the killed animals on the main
posts of the house. The first
fetched out SÜKHÜHNYE wine is
offered to the deities in bananas
leaf tumblers and the cooked meat
and rice-beer are offered to the
High-Priest and Priests of the
village in expectation of blessings.
The second day is “SÜKHRÜ”meant for
men folk. SÜKHRÜ signifies
sanctification of young, innocent
and unspoiled boys for this
ritualistic ceremony. On this day
every man is supposed to take a
fresh-water bath and is forbidden to
use water fetched by women. To
perform this ritualistic ceremony (SÜKHRÜ)
everything new is used including
utensils and fireplace. The men folk
go to the well early in the morning
before any animal or bird touches or
partakes the water and take a bath
immediately after the first crow of
the cock which indicates the
breaking of a new day, in order to
sanctify themselves. Thereafter, the
unpolluted water, considered to be
holy, is brought home, fire is made
out of the fire making method and
unblemished cock is killed and
cooked with the holy water and eat
to sanctify the boy/boys for the
rest of their lives. Even when a new
house is constructed “SÜKHRÜH: is
performed in order to get his house
sanctified. This whole process is
called “SÜKHRÜH” and “NYE” is known
as festival. On this day the entire
men folk go for community
bird-trapping. The collected birds
are hung on a decorated ceremonial
ritual to sanctify her young
innocent daughter/daughters. THÜNO
NUSO is much simpler than that of
SÜKHRÜH; they prepare an unblemished
young hen and eat it to sanctify
themselves for their entire lives.
The fourth day is known as “MÜTHI
NUSO” where social feasts such as
MÜLELHÜ or feast of social age
groups. ZHOTHO MUZA (feast of merit)
etc begins. This day is set aside
from religious restrictions.
The fifth day is known as “CEDÜ
ZHONU” which means accomplishment of
the festivals. The sixth day and the
last day is known as “THÜNYE MÜKRA”.
Now that the festival’s religious
pursuits are relaxed, to mark the
last of SÜKHRÜHNYE they continue
feasting, dancing and singing
throughout the day and night till
dawn.
With the coming of Christianity,
SÜKHRÜHNYE’S religious and
traditional ceremonies and rituals
are no longer in practice in most of
the villages. However, SÜKHRÜHNYE is
still celebrated with great
significance and enthusiasm mostly
by the Chokris in Phek district.
During this traditional festival the
indigenous games, folk songs, folk
dance and sports fully occupy the
festive period of six days starting
from 15 January in keeping with the
Christian spirit. SÜKHRÜHNYE being a
festival of sanctification, it is
also marked as Children’s day. Water
baptism can take place on this
occasion. SÜKHRÜHNYE is a time of
joyful celebration and so people do
anticipate and yearn for the next to
come.
TSÜKHENYIE : The TSÜKHENYIE
Festival is also an important
festival for the Chakhesang. Earlier
it was usually celebrated at the end
of the 3rd lunar month of March. But
now it is being observed on 6th May.
A new year of activities begins with
the arrival of spring. All sports
and games and other youth activities
which began after the harvest will
cease with the closing of the
festival. The festival last for four
days. On the first morning, the
village priest will offer sacrifice
with the first COCK that crowed that
morning, Also, early that morning,
all male folks (any male person who
can is a spear) come to a designated
Well (where only male folks are
allowed) and purify themselves by
bathing. This purification is
important. Any acts not conforming
to the sets rites and ceremonies
will be frowned at and will bring
bad luck to the person or the
family. In this bathing ceremony,
the rise only new Gourd dipper (for
hauling water) especially set aside
for this day, also put on the new
dresses. After the bath is performed
they invoke the Almighty for
strength, long life, good harvest
and other.
During this festival only the best
(Unblemished) of the male
domesticated animals will be
slaughtered for consumption. No
female livestock will be
slaughtered. New wine will be
prepared and used. The mean and
other food prepared will be shared
with the best friends (khwukhe or
hachhi). Games and sports, music
competition is organized among the
different age groups after which
feast is also organized among those
different age groups.
During this festival, the married
women go to their parent’s house and
prepare the best food for their
husbands. In some villages, the male
youths will declare the most
beautiful girl of the village for
the year.
At the end of the festival, all the
traditional games and music articles
will be stored away (kehale – mekhi)
and not used till the necessary
rites are performed for their use in
the next year's harvest festival. Even
the plates which were used for
presenting food to the spirits of
the dead will be thrown till the
next opening of such performances
after the harvest (kehale-methsü).
All leisure activities will be
forbidden after this festival. As
the festival ends with the
invocation of a new blessing, all
leisure activities will be left
behind and concentrate only on the
activities of the fields and other
related activities. With it the
sowing of paddy and planting of new
seeds starts. TSÜKHENYIE is a
festival which celebrates the
culmination of all leisure
activities and a festival for
welcoming a new fruitful life and
year. |