Ngada Festival

Ngada Festival is an annual celebration of the Rwengma Nagas observed towards the end of November or December. It is believed that during this festival, the spirits of the dead visit their graves and the homes of their relatives.

Ngada Festival is one of the popular festivals of Nagaland. The festival is mainly celebrated by Rengma tribe of the state.

The eight day long festival is celebrated towards the end of November or in the beginning of December every year with lots of joy and merry making.

The festival is mainly the post harvest festival of Nagaland and marks the end of the agriculture season.

The Rengmas holds a strong belief that spirits of the departed souls of their family members visit their graves and houses during this festival of Ngada.

The eight day long festival is celebrated with high festive spirits and togetherness. All eight days of the festival have its own significance and peculiar rituals. People remain indulge in different rituals and celebrations all the eight days.

• The first day of the Ngada festival is spent in preparation of rice-beer by every household.
• Second day of the Ngada festival is spent in collection of banana leaves from forest.
• Third day of the Ngada festival is marked by visit of relative’s graves by womenfolk. Women place rice-beer wrapped in banana leaves on the graves.

• All male members visit their relative’s graves on the fourth day, all moves together at their respective khel morungs known as "Rensi" in the early morning, with their own rice-beer and meat and have their food there while at mid day all male members roam in the village in their ceremonial and warrior finerie followed by women with rice-beer in their mugs to offer them drinks.
• The fifth day is witnessed by the lively procession of all males of the village accompanied with loud voice of songs and folk dances. They visit all houses in the village, and receive something as a token of appreciation.
• Sixth day is marked by the custom of visiting all houses and greeting each other irrespective of their tribe and feast together and enjoy the festivity.
• Seventh day is marked by the preparations for the grand feast and collection of firewood, banana leaves and vegetables from the forest.
• Eight day holds the major celebrations of the festival which includes grand feast and few rituals for the better future. The whole village feast on the food collected during the fifth day procession. People hold strong belief that souls of the departed ones move to the other world and leave village after the grand treat.

The other significance of the last day of the festival is practice of the three special rituals for the betterment of village and families of the tribe.

• The first rite is the peace concurrence with fire with the aim to avoid fire accident in the village.
• The second is ritual of agreement with the rats, for preventing crops or household goods from rats.
• The third rite is performed to drive out evil spirits from all houses and the entire village.

This concludes the celebrations of the eight day long Nagda Festival of the Rengma Nagas in Nagaland.