AHUNA : AHUNA is a traditional post –
harvest festival of the Sumis.
Ahuna signifies the celebration
of the season’s harvest in
thanksgiving, while invoking the
spirits for good fortune in the
New Year. On this occasion, the
entire community prepares, and
feasts on the first meal of rice
– drawn from the season’s
harvest – cooked in bamboo
segments. The receptacles for
cooking or serving on this
occasion, are freshly made,
carved or cut, from indigenously
available resources – prolific
and abundant in the countryside.
TULUNI : Tuluni is a festival of great
significance. This festival is
marked with feast as the
occasion occurs in the bountiful
season of the year. Drinking
rice – beer indispensably forms
a part of the feast. Rice – beer
is served in goblet made with
the leaf of plantain. This wine
is called TULUNI. Therefore,
consumption of the wine is
called “TULUNI”. Tuluni is also
called “ANNI” the word of which
denotes the season of plentiful
crops. This mid – year (JULY)
festival is the greatest and
most fervent moment for the Sumi
Community of Nagaland.
During this festival, the
betrothed exchange basketful of
gifts with meals. The fiancé is
invited to a grand dinner at the
fiancé's residence. Even
siblings of the families of both
the bride and groom exchange
dinner and packed food and meat.
It is a time of joy even for the
baby – sitters. On this day they
are fed generously with food and
meat. Cultivators usually work
in groups and specially for Anni
(Festival) they keep budget with
which either pigs or cows are
procured and the butchered
animals are shared amongst the
members. The reserved meat is
used for group feast. In the
midst of the feast group leaders
get extra offer of meat by way
of feeding them by others. Each
working group consists of 20 to
30 in number which includes
several women too. The new
recruits are also made to add to
the group at this grand feast.
The betrothed are settled at
these period. The fervor of feast
is synchronized with a chain of
folk songs and ballads.
Sumi have two different clan –
heads, viz., Swu (Sumi) and Tuku
(Tukumi). By virtue of two
separate clans the gennas and
rituals differ between Sumi and
Tukumi. Among all other
festivals and gennas Sumis in
general accept the festival of
Tuluni as the most grand and
important one.