Tsokum festival

The Tsokum festival is celebrated in the month of October every year in Nagaland. The festival is mainly celebrated by the Khiamgans tribe with great fun and gaiety. This is the pre harvesting festival. People harvest their crops after thanking God for good crops during Tsokum Festival.

The seven day long festival is celebrated during the first week of October. The festival is marked by thanking God for being blessed with good crops and wellness in the family. People worship Almighty and pray for the happiness and prosperity of the family.

The celebration includes the tradition of sacrificing the animals like Mithun, buffaloes, cows, pigs etc and presenting before their deity. A portion of neck and ribs of the animals killed is then collected in the “Morung” in the form of compulsory donation followed by the activities of the male folks on the next day.

All male folks of the village get indulge into the repair of roads and bridges on the next day of the festival. They also feast and drink together, on their way back to their homes. The food in the feast includes the meat of the compulsory donated part of the sacrificed animals.

The festival is also the time for warriors to display their hunted trophies and notify villagers about his work many men he has killed during his lifetime.

People believe that by celebrating the festival they seek permission for the right to harvest and taste the new crops.