Festivals Of Northeast Treasure Trove For The Traveller

The festivals held across the region allow travellers to truly experience the kaleidoscope of culture that the Northeast boasts of

- Bhairavi Jani

We’ve all gazed longingly at pictures of the floating national park on Loktak Lake, a grazing rhino in Kaziranga, the transfixing pose of a Naga dancer, or the serene view of the Kanchenjunga peaks. One or the other destination in the Northeast is definitely on our wanderlust wish-list. It is perhaps the multitude of cultures that also makes them attractive travel destinations for people from the rest of India. When you think about the eight states of Northeast India, it is hard to not equate their nature to a kaleidoscope of culture. And nothing reveals their unique stories like the unique festivals that each of these states celebrate.

Festivals Take a New Meaning

For our grandparents and to some extent, our own parents, ‘festivals’ pin-pointed to religious and regional markers. To us, and generations onward, festivals have come to acquire an added layer of meaning. One where it doesn’t just involve returning to familiar territory - home, a native village or town - but often to unknown, strange lands in search of a new experience, or an interest that you may pursue deeply - be it music, art and craft, textile, or food!

What our predecessors identified as fairs meant for tribes, farmers, and artisans from far flung areas to congregate for trade, have become melting pots of interactions with, and learning grounds from native cultures. Just as Diwali and NH7 Weekender come to mind when we discuss festivals, the Northeast region of India has its own bevy of festivals that they celebrate with aplomb. Like everywhere else in India, the 200+ tribes of Northeast celebrate their share of festivals pertaining to local religious beliefs (Buddhism and Christianity are widely practiced in the region), the various regional calendar New Year’s, and the change of seasons and milestones in farming cycles.

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