Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 7 (EMN): "Chada Nyi," a unique festival of cleaning roads and paths leading to fields, was celebrated at Mezoma on Tuesday, a village located about 20 km away from the state capital.
Vihutsumia members joining the rest of Mezoma khels took part in the mass social work, while children engaged themselves in collecting grasshoppers in and around the village.
It was learnt that the occasion was marked by entertainment and merriment later after the villagers participated in the cleanliness activities.
Theja Thomas Khawakhrie, a youth member of Vihutsumia khel who participated at the festival said, "Chada Nyi" is considered to be one of the most important festivals of Mezoma people, which is observed every year on September 7. It is believed that sickness and diseases would be ward-off by participating in this festival, he said.
The occasion also symbolises the beginning of harvest and believe that "God is well pleased," while people hoped for blessings from above for a rich harvest and good health to all family members.
With the advent of Christianity, those ancestral beliefs are said to be no longer in practice and subsequently with the passage of time, such traditions are forgotten and slowly fading away. It is only during the "Chada nyi" festival that those beliefs, traditions and customs are rekindled to the present generation through modern enactments.