Konyak Aoleang Monyu begins today

A Konyak dance troupe

Aoleang Monyu festival is one of the biggest traditional festivals of Konyak (Naga) tribe which would begin April 4. The spring season is a favorable and beautiful time for feasting and merry making as cold winter is over and rainy and heat summer are yet to arrive. The activity of the cleaning jungle and burning of Jhum land is finished and the varieties of new sowing seeds begun. So it marks the end of a year and heralds a coming new year. Therefore in other words, Aoleang festival is also a New Year festival for Konyak.

According to a release issued by P. Longang Konyak, president KUK, the main objective of the Aoleang festival was to invoke a divine blessing on the newly planted seeds on Jhum land and garden etc and many rituals are performed to succeed in war, good health longevity of life production of numerous livestock and to reap bounty harvest.

The word Aoleang derived from the Konyak dialect in two syllabi, ‘Ao’ which means bird and ‘leang’ means craving sexual gratification. Therefore Aoleang means bird’s sensual season as the birds of the air started crossing during this spring season and incubates to hatch to produce offspring’s. This Aoleang Monyu festival falls during the season when the birds of the jungle starts for new family and nature is budding with its new shoots.

Aoleang is marked by singing folk song, dancing and feasting in age wise group. During this festival, friends and relatives and especially guests from neighboring villages and in-laws were invited and best food and meat items are served while also gifts are distributed. This festivals also strengthens the bond of family as lady members married with other clan, village and community attends the feast and lady members from the family visits their parent’s house and feasts with the parents and sibling

Aoleang is also a time when boys and girls, attending adult starts wearing traditional attires and ornaments to join the adult group “Aih’ singing and dancing on the Aoleang feast occasion. Proposals for marriage are made during this season by the boy’s parents. Advent beating of log drums till midnight by the male folk signals the close arrival of the festival and the log drum continues to beat till it bids farewell to the Aoleang festival. It bids adieu to the festival  with serving of varieties of food, dancing, singing beating gong and log drum and gun shots till mid night till the early next morning, the festival decoration is demolished by singing and weeping and birds bids adieu to Aoleang festival and to arrive the Aoleang festival son in next year.