''Aoleang Monyü'' or simply ''Aoleang'' is a festival celebrated by the

Konyak Naga The Konyaks are one of the major Naga ethnic groups. In Nagaland, they inhabit the Mon District, which is also known as ''The Land of the Anghs''. The ''Anghs''/''Wangs'' are their traditional chiefs whom they hold in high esteem. Facial tattoos ...

people and is held in the first week of April mainly in the

Mon District Mon District (Pron:/mɒn/) is a district of Nagaland, a state in India. It is the third-largest district in Nagaland in terms of area. The district has a population of 250,260 people. Mon Town is the headquarters of the district. History Afte ...

of the Indian state of

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

. The Konyak people are the largest of 17 officially recognized tribes in Nagaland and are the most well known due to their past tradition of

head hunting Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim, although sometimes more portable body parts (such as ear, nose or scalp) are taken instead as trophies. Headhunting was practiced in his ...

. The Konyak people are found in the Mon region of Nagaland and in neighboring

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

making these places the best to witness the Aoleang Festival. Konyak Naga people can be identified by their tattoo faces and they mostly known for their headhunters past. The f estival is one of the most important festival from other festivals. The Aoleang celebrates the arrival of spring and prays for a good upcoming harvest. The celebrations are held in the first week of April and coincide with the start of the Konyak New Year. However, dates can change as the festival is celebrated in villages across the district with no defined schedule. You have to ask around about where and when events are taking place when you get there. The Aoleang differs from the more famous

Hornbill Festival The Hornbill Festival is an annual festival celebrated from 1 to 10 of December in the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. The festival represents all ethnic groups of Nagaland for which it is also called the ''Festival of Festivals''. Back ...

which is usually held from 1–10 December and takes place at the Kisama Heritage Village which is 12 km from Nagaland's capital

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

. The Hornbill Festival is a major tourist attraction and is arranged by the Tourism and Art & Culture Departments to preserve the cultures of all the different tribes in Nagaland. The Aoleang differs from the

as it in an authentic tribal festival arranged by the Konyak tribe only. The celebrations for the Aoleang Festival are spread across a week. The main purpose of the Aoleang is to welcome in the spring and new year and to pray for a good harvest. During the Aoleang many rituals take place including dancing, feasting and sacrifices that are meant to appease the divine spirits in order to bless the land with a good harvest. The first 3 days of the Aoleang festival are called ''Hoi Lah Nyih'', ''Yin Mok Pho Nyih'' and ''Mok Shek Nyih.'' These days are spent preparing for the festival by weaving traditional cloths, collecting the animals that will be sacrificed and preparing food and rice beer for the festival. The fourth day, known as ''Lingnyu Nyih,'' is the most important day of the Aoleang in which all the members of the Konyak tribe dress up in their best colorful traditional tribal clothes and jewellery. The fourth day is the most interesting to watch as the whole day is spent dancing, singing and feasting as a community and the indigenous dances that they perform symbolize the tribe's history as headhunters. The final two days of the festival are called ''Lingha Nyih'' and ''Lingshan Nyih.'' This time is dedicated to spending time with family and cleaning the whole village and also individual houses.

References

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Aoleang Monyu Festival 2023 of Konyak Naga
Festivals in Nagaland Mon district

See also

References