The Chakhesang Tribe celebrates seven festivals in a year, all
the festivals are based on the agricutural cycle. The Sukrunye
is the most important festival, which is celebrated in the first
month of the year. Traditionally the Sukrunye festival covers
19 long days ,starting from Nyede to Vuta Zhongu. However it has
been now restricted to a 6 day event.
The word "SUKRU" implies sanctification of father by
performing the following ritualistic ceremony-During the ritualistic
ceremony everything new is used including utensils and hearth
with three logs of one and half feet grid and 2 ft in length.
The men are forbidden to use water fetched by women. The men folk
go to the village well early in the morning before any animal
or bird touches the water and take a fresh water bath.
After sanctifying themselves ,the unpolluted water is brought
home, a fire is lit by the traditional fire making method and
an unblemished cock is killed, cooked with the holy water and
eaten to sanctify the boys for the rest of their lives.
Sukru rituals are also performed when a new house is constructed
.The word "NYE" means festival. The entire men folk
go for the community bird-catching and snaring, which are later
hung on the decorated tip of a tall bamboo. The different kinds
of birds and snares caught foretell the fortune of a person's
future.
The
fifth day of the Sukrunye is called Chedi. On this day animals
are killed and every household smears the blood of the animals
on the post of the house. The first fetched out cooked meat and
hezo(rice-beer) are offered to the high Priest and elders of the
village. In return the givers are ceremoniously blessed by an
act of libation.
The 'Thuno Nuso' ritual is only meant for the women folk. The
mother performs this ceremonial ritual to sanctify her young virgin
daughter. They kill an unblemished young hen and it is partaken
to sanctify themselves for their entire lives.
During this festival the young men and women dance and sing together
drinking Hezo. Traditional games and sports like wrestling, music
competition, Top fights,
Thuluva(played with a wild ball fruit) Tsuphre-stone throwing
competition (long stones weighing 50 to 100 kgs) are organised
by different age groups.
Highly
restricted genna is observed on the last day of Sukrunye with
thanks giving to the deities for seeking good fortune and blessings.
