Ali-Ai-Ligang in Feburary – March

Ali–Ai-Ligang is a spring festival associated with agriculture and is celebrated by the Mising (descendants of the Astro- Mongoloids) ethnic community of Assam. The festival marks the onset of sowing seeds and is held to appease mother earth and the fore-fathers. ‘Ali’ means root or seed, ‘ai’ means fruit and ‘ligang’ means sow. On the day of the festival, the heads of families ceremonially sow paddy in a corner of their respective rice fields and pray for a good crop as well as for general abundance and well-being of their family.

It is a colourful festival and occurs every year on the first wednesday of the month of Ginmur Polo (February-March) in the Mising calendar. The festival continues for five days with strict adherance to taboos regarding cutting trees, fishing, ploughing and burning the jungle. Dancing and singing is a big feature of this festival and is performed by the youth. The dancers are rewarded by the host with rice beer, meat and sometimes even cash. The last day of the festival is called lilen and is celebrated with a huge community village feast that includes pork and dried fish and rice beer. It is a day of utmost merriment for the Mising community where they usher in hope and luck for the new crop they are about to sow.