Traditional festivals hold deep cultural, historical, and spiritual significance, preserving the essence of a community’s identity and values. Deviating from their original purpose diminishes their meaning, reducing rich traditions to mere superficial events. These festivals provide continuity, connecting generations through shared rituals and stories, fostering a sense of belonging and unity. Maintaining their authenticity honors the heritage and wisdom of ancestors, offering a time for reflection, gratitude, and community bonding. By staying true to their purpose, traditional festivals nurture cultural pride and cohesion, ensuring that their profound messages and customs endure for future generations.
The question then is, do the Nagas today celebrate their traditional festivals while deviating from the original purpose? Most traditional Naga festivals, like Tsüngremmung, are based on agriculture. How much emphasis do we give to agriculture during the Tsüngremmung festival today? Culture is not limited to wearing traditional finery and performing folk songs or dances, though these are part of it. Celebrating Tsüngremmung without agriculture is like celebrating Christmas without Christ. Unfortunately, even the rice served during Tsüngremmung community feasts is imported from elsewhere. Culture is dynamic and evolves over time, but the purpose and essence of traditional festivals ought to remain pure. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing the purpose of celebrating the festivals, resulting in a dilution of meaning and the emergence of a synthetic culture.
Another threat to traditional festivals is their politicization. Beyond missing the purpose and meaning of observing traditional festivals, their politicization is the greatest threat to the preservation of culture.