Shomai villagers celebrate seed sowing festival
Source: Chronicle News Service
Senapati, March 05 2024:
Shomai (Thingba Khunou), a Poumai Naga village in Senapati district, celebrated 'Tainiih' (seed sowing festival) with AI of Schools (retd) PM Heni and school head master (retd) RT Peter as chief guest and guest of honour respectively.
The term "Tainiih" is created by combining the words 'Tai' (seed) and 'Niih' (festival).
Villagers celebrate Tainiih, which signals the start of seed sowing, as spring arrives.
The 'king' chooses the best time of year to have the celebration.
In addition, he performs the necessary rituals and announces that the villagers can begin planting seeds after the celebration of the day.
At the start of the event, Ng Sahiinii, village chief, blessed the crops that the villagers were going to plant, asking God to give them bountiful harvest.
In his address, village chairman KL Samuel wel corned the villagers coming from different parts of the state while chief guest PM Heni said that the day marks the start of the villagers' seed sowing for the year after seeking God's blessings.
He noted that, at the start of the seed-sowing season each year, even the people of the valley ascend tall mountains to offer prayers.
Farmers must take care of and tend to the plants once they have been sown, he stressed along with advising the students study hard for excelling in their exams.
PM Heni also encouraged everyone to consider what kind of seeds they are planting and what kind of harvest they would receive later in the year, even as the farmers start to sow seeds during this season.
Speaking on village development, PM Heni emphasised that cooperation between the villagers and the local authority council is essential for any progress to be made along with emphasising the importance of villagers supporting one another in order to bring prosperity to the village.
Guest of honour RT Peter said that it was when all villagers put on traditional dresses to honour their forefathers' rich cultures.
He also urged all villagers to keep working hard and expect good harvest.
Resource persons spoke on traditional lunar calendar, and rites and rituals during the event.
Various competitions including dance, slogan, folk song, tug of war, indigenous games, blowing of bull horns, traditional fire making, and mouth-stirring competitions were held on the second day of the festival that will continue till Wednesday.