The Yangli festival of the Tiwa community of Assam concluded on Friday. The festival was organized at Guva in Jagiroad of Assam.
The Yangli festival, also known as the Lakshmi Puja of the Tiwa people was organised with the traditional rituals in the Guva region of the state. The festivities had begun on March 29, 2023. The Tiwa community mainly depends on agriculture as their main livelihood and this festival is also related to the same. During the Yangli festival, the people pray for a good harvest and ask the Gods to protect their crops from pests and natural calamities.
This festival is celebrated once every five years by the members of the community. Rice is one of the main crops of the region and the sowing of seeds for paddy starts soon after the completion of this festival. This year’s festival held in Jagiroad was also attended by the Guva King Deep Singh Deuraja.
The celebrations began with the traditional rituals and dances and the fun-fare of the event continued on the banks of a river. More than five hundred people from multiple groups including the Amchi, Rangkhai and Magrat came together to celebrate this festival.
According to the local traditions, the Yangli festival is the opportunity to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi to the earth and to bless them with a good harvest in the coming years. Ceremonious sacrifices of animals including poultry and goats are done on the eve of the puja to welcome the goddess to the “NoBaro” or the granary of the Tiwa people. And as per the traditions of the community, the Rongkhi and Amchi people have to sacrifice one goat more than what is being offered by the other groups.
After the completion of the festival on the evening of Friday, the people who participated in the event returned to their homes in different parts of the state. (Sentinel)
