Suhkruhnye- A Naga festival

Nagaland is a vibrant hill state located in the extreme North Eastern end of India , bounded by Myanmar in the east, Assam in the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam in the North with Manipur in the south. It offers rich incomparable traditional and cultural heritage.
The distinctive character and identity of each tribe in terms of tradition , custom,language and dresses is clearly discernable . The life, culture and tradition of the tribes of Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Khiamnigungen, Kuki, Konyak, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengama, Sumi, Sangtam, Yimchungru and Zeliang will make one think of its diversity.

Nagaland is a land of festivals. All the tribes celebrate their distinct seasonal festivals with a pageantry of colour and a feast of music. All the tribes have their own festivals which they hold dear. At these festivals , the spirit of Gods are propitiated with sacrifices by the village shaman for a bountiful harvest either before the sowing or on the eve of harvest.

The Nagas have a rich tradition of art and craft rooted in a life style that has always been blended in harmony with the environment they live in. They lent their skills to creating items of utility as well those with ritualistic and aesthetic value . They carve gates , house posts, storage baskets, drinking vessels, containers and colourful cloths.

Suhkruhnye is the most important festival and is celebrated on 15th January. During this festival, the boys and girls are sanctified through religious ceremonies and rituals, As a matter of fact , Suhkruhnye covers eleven days starting from ‘Nyede’ and within five days starting including ‘Nyede’ necessary preparations are made for the rest of 6 days of festivity period.

The first days of the festivity period is known as ‘Cedu’ . On this very day animals are killed and every household sprinkles the blood of the killed animals on the main post of the house. The first fetched out Suhkeruhnye wine is offered to the deities in banana leaf tumblers and the cooked meat and rice bear are offered to the high priest and the priests of the village in expectation of blessings.

The second day is ‘Suhkruh’ mean for menfolk. Suhkruh signifies sanctification of young , innocent and unspoiled boys for this ritualistic ceremony. On this day, every man is supposed to take a fresh water bath and are forbidden to use water fetched by women. To perform the ritualistic ceremony, they buy everything new including utensils and fire place. The men folk go to the well early in the morning before any animals and birds touches or partakes of the water and take a fresh water bath immediately after the first crow of the cock which indicates the breaking of the new day , in order to sanctify themselves. There after the unpolluted water considered to be holy, is brought home. Fire is made out of fire walling method and unblemished cock is killed and cooked with holy water and eat to sanctify the boys for the rest of their lives . Even when the new house is constructed , Suhkruhs festival is performed . The whole process of Suhkruhs festival is called Nye. On this day the entire men folk go for community bird trapping. The collected birds were hung on a decorated tip of a tall bamboo as a symbol of Suhkruhnye . Different kinds of birds so caught are believed to foretell the fortunes for the forthcoming days of the year of the concerned individual.

Third day is thuno nuso; meant for women only. Mother perform ceremonial ritual to sanctify her young innocent daughters. They prepare unblemished young hen and eat to sanctify themselves for their entire life.

Fourth day for social feast , fifth day –cedu Zhongu- accomplishment of the festival.
Sixth day- for feast, singing and dancing. Chokris in Phek district do water baptism also .