S Kumtsu Janger
Kohima
Metümnyo is a solemn festival celebrated by the Yimkhiung Naga tribe in Nagaland. It is an old ritual, tradition and celebration life and death; blending its kinds on religious and seasonal significance. Traditionally, the festive days are spread from August 4 to 8and the main feast falls on August 8. The word ‘Me’ means ‘Soul’, ‘Tüm’ means ‘Wrap’ and ‘Nyo’ means ‘Feast’. So, the term literally means ‘Soul Wrapping Feast’, a solemn festival that welcomes the newborns and honoring the ones going by. Metümnyo comes into light in a season when granaries are filled with fresh millets.
If we could travel back to the olden days, one would find people practicing deep rituals and sacrifices when they would wake up early in the morning, to invoke Supreme Being called ‘Arim-Puh’. This was done by displaying a tuft (branch) of tree with rice-beer at the main entrance on the right side of the house.
Traditionally, ‘Kiulongzhipuh’ (announcer) would notify the five festive days which are viz. Shito, Zhihto, Zümto, Khihresuk and Shiresuk. An elderly man ‘Khiungpuh’ or ‘Kheamphuru’ inaugurates the event by pronouncing special prayers and initiating the rituals. People observe the event with dances and songs in their colorful traditional attires.
On the first day, several animals are killed for consumption, and the raw meats are also shared with neighbors, friends and relatives. The festival begins with splashing of rice-beer on the right side of the house.On the second day, it was followed by the cleaning of community roads and footpaths leading to the fields.On the third day, inter-village roads and bridges are repaired. Then comes the fourth day, whereon water points and springs in the vicinity of villages are cleaned. People would gather in the Kheang-Yam (Morung) by sunset to celebrate through dancing and singing.
On the fifth day, people enjoy community feast by sharing rice beer, millet-bread, rice, cooked meat and other gifts. As the night falls, they would make a bonfire and then sing solemn songs in honor of the deceased souls and to welcome the birth of the new babies. On the sixth day, people observed complete rest. Only on the seventh day, people resume their normal way of life.
Significantly, Metümnyo is a celebration, honoring the departed souls, and souls that are destined to die in the current and preceding year. It is a sweet sorrow where people sing and dance to bid the souls farewell. It is believed that the spirit of Metümnyo will protect the one leaving and bless the one living.
The festival also marks to welcome new born babies. Parents bless their offspring by preparing special lunch basket where pieces of meat are wrapped in banana leaves. Six pieces of meat for male and five for female are kept, symbolizing the number of their souls. It was followed by ‘Kheangshukhe’, sharing lunch baskets to all doors.
It is also a season for the young folks to find their soul mates. Traditional gift for engagement called ‘Muktaklak’ is presented to the fiancé. The girl’s parents are also served with meat and rice-beer from Khiu-Mukh (bamboo jug). It is a season when people invite friends, visit relatives and exchanges gifts to strengthen ties and bond of love. They also thrill themselves through games with utmost aim to rebuild friendship and reconcile past mistakes.
With the advent of Christianity and assimilation of modern culture, people no longer practice old rites. Today, it is observed mainly to preserve our rich culture and traditional values. The old rituals and practices are altered with Christian principles and are celebrated with gaiety, extravaganzas, prayer of thanksgiving and blessings from God.
