ARUNACHAL PRADESH
by Dr. Venugopal Menon
The north-eastern Indian state Arunachal Pradesh is known for its pristine beauty and the lush green forests. The state is also known as the Land of the Rising Sun with a lot of activities to do like river rafting, paragliding, etc.
Siang River Festival:
One of the most popular festivals, it is held to celebrate communal harmony and to attract tourism. It offers many adventure and fun activities like elephant race, boat race, river rafting, food festivals, folk dances, cultural shows, hot air balloon and paragliding, and exhibitions.
Pangsau Pass Winter Festival:
(January)
The modern-day winter festival is celebrated in Nampong in January. It is a three-day festival, people displaying their extravagant ethnicity, perform folk dances, and sing folk songs. There are also handicrafts exhibitions. People from Myanmar join the festival.
Solung Festival:
Celebrated during the monsoon, this is a ten-day agriculture festival by the Adi community. On the first day a bison are slaughtered, the meat distributed and a grand feast is arranged. On the final day, the village people uproot the weak plants as an act done in the hope of driving away insects and worms.
Losar Festival:
This is the festival of the Monpa tribe to welcome a new year. Monpa is the dominating tribe of Tawang and West Kemang district; therefore, one can consider Losar as a major festival here. Tawang is amongst the most popular tourist attractions in North East India and visiting it during the festival is indeed the ideal time. The festival falls usually in February or in early March and lasts for about 8 to 15 days during which homes are cleaned, prayers are offered, religious flags are hoisted atop each house, holy scriptures are read and lamps with butter are lit in all the houses. The local deity is also worshipped by the Monpas for the welfare of society and the people. Losar is also the time to relish the taste of locally made drinks and savor the traditional cuisine.
