Lui-Ngai-Ni Festival celebrated by Nagas in Manipur Chandel

Chandel: The state-level seed sowing festival, Lui-Ngai-Ni, was celebrated at Kapaam village in Manipur’s Chandel district on Wednesday.

The fair was hosted by the Chandel Naga People’s Organization under the auspices of the United Naga Council (UNC).
Nagas in Manipur celebrate this festival to mark the beginning of the new year and pray for a bountiful and bountiful harvest.

This year, the festival was celebrated with the theme “One Culture, One Destiny”, which aims to adopt the basic principle of social norms and value system where family culture is based on loving each other.
Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, Minister for Water Resources and Relief and Disaster Management Awanbow Newmai said that we need to preserve the culture of our ancestors.

The minister further said that Nagas are peace loving people and by celebrating the festival of sowing seeds, he urged the gathering to spread peace and show what it means to live in peace.

“To promote peace among us, we need to respect each other, and we can start doing this in our families,” the minister said.
Through this collective seed sowing festival celebration, Minister Newmai also wished the people of the state a successful and prosperous year ahead.
“Although we have shortened the days of celebration, we are still celebrating in a very symbolic way. Earlier, we used to celebrate the festival for three consecutive days,” said UNC President Ng Lorho.

He added that all the 20 Naga tribes of Manipur participated in the festival, which marks the beginning of the sowing season.
The festival featured various activities, including folk songs, cultural dances, Lui Ngai Ni bugle playing, Lui Ngai Ni fire lighting, and drumming by various Naga tribes.

Yuilachan Mahongnao, a popular young artist from the Tangkhul community, also performed during the festival. He enthralled the crowd with his original number ‘Charfa’ as well as other covers.
Meanwhile, various artistes and bands from the Naga community also lined up for the extravaganza evening as part of the Lui-Ngai-Ni festival celebration.

Among the dignitaries present at the event were Minister for Veterinary and Animal Husbandry and Transport Khashim Vashum, MLAs SS Olish, Ram Muivah, Janghemlung Panmei, J Kumo Sha and other community leaders.