Nanu festival :: Ear-piercing festival of Zeliangrong

Budha Kamei *

A Scene from The Zeliangrongs :: Pix by Haobam Ronel (Director)

Nanu is an ear-piercing festival of the Zeliangrong celebrated in the month of Nanu-bu which usually falls in March; (Na means child, Nu means ear-piercing). It is a sort of the registration of the children born in the preceding year in the Kengja Kaibang (house of old women) for community recognition.

It is also a fertility festival for the birth of more offspring as well as to have a fruitful cultivation in the village. In March, there is a "festival of three days' continuance, in which the ears of the children born in the previous year are pierced." It is celebrated for two days.

On the first day, the family who has first baby (son/daughter) does kill a dog and offer to God for wellbeing of the child. This is locally called Jeishanmei (sacrifice of dog). The victim is consumed by the participants. The Lugaan (son-in-laws) of the family will make necessary arrangements for the next day as the last day is the most important day of the festival.

On the second day, at the first cock-crow, an old woman along with male members of the child's family will fetch water in a Joumuh (dry guard) from the Duikhun (village pond) for bathing the baby and cooking of ritual offerings. Before fetching the water, they first contact the water with the spear which they brought (in the distant past, Duihkun was generally located far from the village area, so they took spears for safety from wild animals) as a way of purification.

Iron (Tanchu) represents as a symbol of sanctity of God. This water is locally recognized as Kakhudui (holy water). In view of Frank Byron Jevons, water purification is a means of gaining for the worshipper the protection of water deity against the consequences of pollution.

Then, Najumgaimei ceremony is performed in which an elder having living wife who officiates as priest and will offer Sangdai (a cock) and Sanglou (a hen), ginger, wine, cooked rice etc. to Tingkao Ragwang and Dampapui for blessing the child with a bright future, longevity of life and happiness and prosperity, success in reproduction, victory over the enemies and to overcome all the socio-religious obligations and perform Maku Banru (great sacrifice) etc.

This is followed by oblation of holy wine to Tingkao Ragwang, Bambu (presiding deities of the village), and Kairao (ancestors of the family) for wellbeing and prosperity of the child. In case of twins' birth, the items of the ceremony are made double. The victims are cooked separately for the ritual of Kashan Kanmei (ritual for safety and protection).

After Kashan Kanmei ritual, all the children (born in the previous year) are brought at the house of the old women for ear-piercing. This is known as Nanu Roumei. This ritual act recognizes the existence of the child in the society. Since pre-historic times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of ear-ring.

In the morning of this particular day, Neknanun (children who are not yet enrolled in the boys' dormitory) will perform a ritual procession distributing mud along with a bunch of Thinglouthai to every household of the village for plentiful food grain in the year. Thinglouthai, a kind of fruit is traditionally used as symbol of Nap (paddy).

In the ritual procession, they will sing songs for fertility of the village. At the noon, they will collect like meat, fish, vegetable etc. from every household of the village. This is locally called Nekgong Kakhamei (collection of eatables).

The collected food items are cooked at the Nek Kaibang (house of children) and consumed. This is followed by Pang Makumei, (ritual procession) in which the boys of Khangchiu seek the blessing of God for healthy sexual life in the society. Each of the child household will bring Nanu Cha, gifts in the form of vegetable, cook rice, cook curry, local salt plates, etc. at the Kengja Kaibang and the gifts are distributed among the elderly people.

At the Kengja Kaibang, the elders of Pei will sing traditional songs like Rah Lu and Magen Lu. In the evening, Nanu Laam, Nanu dance is performed by old women with relevant songs sung by the elderly men at every household of the child born in the preceding year. At the end of Nanu Laam, fertility song called Konshumei will be sung for the birth of more children in the family.

On the next day of the festival, a complete genna called Nashang Nei is observed in the village. It is a community and individuals prayer to God to avert death at delivery in the village. M McCulloch says, there is "an annual village genna of three days in which the ears of the children born after the last festival of this nature are pierced."