Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Imphal, January 27 2010:
This year's seed sowing festival of the Nagas, the Lui-Ngai-Ni will be celebrated at Senapati (Tahamzam) on February 15 under the theme.
'Our Resources-Our Future' which will be hosted by Naga Peoples Organisation (NPO).
In this connection, leaders of the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students Association, Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women Union, Manipur (NWUM), Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) and others had convened a meeting few days ago and constituted a fifteen member organising committee and five sub-committees.
During the celebration of the Lui-Ngai-Ni, the Almighty God is invoked to shower blessing on the seeds sown that they yield bountiful and bumper harvest in order to ensure the well-being of the people.
"The blessing of the supreme deity is besought with expressions through dances, songs and rituals.
The cultural continuity is a way of showing our unique identity.
And this is the cultural continuity which we see in some of the most delightful dances, songs and other customary rituals presented by Lui Ngai-Ni every year," said the organising committee.
"Out of many festivals that different Naga tribes are celebrating, the seed sowing festival is one of them which are celebrated by all the Naga tribes almost simultaneously.
And after a great deal of studies by a group of Naga elders, this festival was given a modern concept by naming this festival 'Lui Ngai-Ni' and its celebration given a collective shape in the year 1987.Subsequently, the government of Manipur has declared February 15 a state holiday on account of the festival, and in 1997 the Ministry of Tourism.
Government of India had also enlisted 'Lui Ngai-Ni' in the national festivals of India," it added.
As of every year, the 2010 Lui-Ngai-Ni will also be marked with cultural bonanza and other gala shows such as traditional attire shows, fashion display, entharalling the crowd with folk songs and dances.
indigenous games, food fair, seeds and seedlings exhibition cum sale, handloom, art and craft production exhibition cum sale and publications and audio-visual production fair will also marked the event.