Biggest festival of Nagas “Lui-Ngai-Ni” celebrated in Manipur

Imphal: The Lui-Ngai-Ni festival, also known as the seed-sowing festival of the Nagas residing in the region was celebrated at Apollo Ground in Manipur’s Tamenglong district headquarters on Thursday.

As a part of the ritual, the festival seeks blessings from the almighty for the past year and the coming seasons.

As usual, the blowing of trumpets, cultural dances, and folk songs were the main features of the two-day event that was celebrated under the theme of “Quintessential cultural resurgence.”

Hosted by the Joint Tribes Council (JTC) of Zeme, Liangmai, Ronamei, and Inpui tribes, as many as 18 Naga tribes from Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel, and Tamenglong districts of Manipur participated in the celebration.

The festival was organised by the State Level Organising Committee of Lui-Ngai-Ni, under the aegis of the United Naga Council, the apex Naga body in the region.

The celebration showcased the rich cultural identity of the Nagas through various cultural programmes and performances in the form of dances, songs, indigenous games, and colourful traditional attires.

The festival is celebrated on February 15 every year.

This day was officially recognised and declared a state holiday by the state government of Manipur in 1988 and the Ministry of Tourism listed Lui-Ngai-Ni as one of the tourist festivals of India in 1997.

The event was attended by Manipur Water Resources and Relief & Disaster Management Minister Awangbow Newmai as chief guest and Lok Saba MP Dr. Lorho S Pfoze as the principal guest.

Mao A/C MLA Losi Dikho and Ukhrul MLA Ram Muivah were the honoured guests and Tamenglong A/C MLA Janghemlung Panmei was the chief host of the celebration. Phungyar A/C MLA Leishiyo Keishing and Karong A/C MLA J Kumo Sha were also special guests of the celebration.

District bureaucrats including the CEO of Tamenglong Autonomous District Council Kachamthai Faiga Gangmei, Tamenglong SP Luikham, Tamenglong, SDO, and Tousem SDO also made their appearance. Leaders of Naga apex bodies like ANSAM, NWUM, and other federating units of the same also attended the events as festival guests.