Maksam Tayeng

PASIGHAT, Mar 7: The Unying Araan festival of the Adis was celebrated with great pomp and gaiety across villages and towns of Adi inhabited districts today.
The Araan festival also marks the beginning of the New Year and the arrival of spring season--the season of joyousness and youthfulness where male elders perform ‘Bari’ songs and ‘Yakjong’ dance by boys and girls through which stories of origin of the festival are narrated, besides praying for wellbeing of people both materially and spiritually.
During this 10-day long festival, it is customary for all male members of a family to go on a hunting spree (open season) and stay in the jungles for one week. When they return home, they come back with wildlife. The children perform “Yakjong” (house to house) wearing colorful traditional attire and bless the house where they perform. The hunted birds, rodents, squirrels are prepared as gift “Aaman” for children and they carry and play with it during the day. The festivity brings brotherhood among the villagers as hunted meats and rice beer ‘Aapong’ are shared among each other, especially ‘Aapongs’ are gifted to uncles (maternal) and in return uncles gift back hunted meat items to children of sisters and relatives during the festival.
Another interesting part of the festivity is that, men folk returning from the hunting spree inquire about who and which group hunted the maximum number of animals and later they invite each other to their houses to offer feast which is one of the most incredible part of Adis resulting in communal harmony since time immemorial.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
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