If Sydney is the New Year’s Eve Capital of the world, Mokokchung is the New Year’s Eve Capital of Nagaland. Held every December 31st since the 1970s reportedly, the New Year’s Eve music extravaganza, the countdown and the fireworks display is simply an experience out of the ordinary. The town square, fondly called ‘police point’ by the locals, is the quintessential venue for this one of the many events Mokokchung is known for. “A New Year won’t be a New Year if there’s no show on December 31st at police point,” or so the adage goes. Come witness why.
Those are the words that greet you if you visit the official Mokokchung District website. Unfortunately, there is news doing the rounds that there won’t be a New Year’s Eve gala in Mokokchung this time. This is not to dampen your spirits but the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC), the statutory body that has been tasked with organizing the event over the years, has sort of resolved not to organize it this year.
The Christmas Cake Race that was held today on Christmas Eve, and the New Year’s Eve extravaganza along with the C5 have long been regarded as part of the festive season’s holiday tradition in Mokokchung.
The MMC has reportedly dropped the idea of organizing the New Year’s Eve celebration, or Watch Night Service as it is interchangeably called, owing to lack of funds. When inquired, an MMC staff confirmed it to be the case. However, the MMC source told Mokokchung Times that the event will be held in a “symbolic” manner without the jingbang.
Meanwhile, the news of the New Year’s Eve extravaganza being cancelled has left the denizens disappointed. “As things have gotten back to normal after the pandemic, it is sad to learn that the District Administration and the Municipal Council is not hosting the annual New Year’s Eve Service here at our Town Square, which is a tradition for Mokokchung,” wrote Along K Ao, an admin of the social media group I Love Mokokchung on Facebook, which has over 53K members. “I wonder why is it being cancelled, is it the new Administrators of the system who are not verse about the traditions of the town’s people? (sic),” he added.
There are also reports of likeminded people exploring the idea of mobilizing the resources needed to organize the event in order to keep the tradition alive while others opine that MMC should step up and host the event as it has always been doing in the past.
With just about a week’s time left before New Year, it remains to be seen whether MMC will reconsider its decision in the face of mounting pressure. It may be mentioned that the event was not held during the last two years due to the COVID19 pandemic.
If the statement on the official Mokokchung district website is to be believed, then, perhaps, “A New Year won’t be a New Year if there’s no show on December 31st at police point.”