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.
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