A grand feast going on during the stone pulling at Viswema village ground. The feast had all type of local Angami cuisines and the local rice beer known as Zutho in Angami which was served at the feast to all the guest.
Adding flavor to the festivities at Hornbill 2013, the Nagaland state tourism department in collaboration with the people of Viswema, showcased the popular stone pulling ceremony at the foothill of Mt. Japfu. The event was held in commemoration of 50th anniversary of the statehood of Nagaland and also in commemoration of the 50 years of Viswema Students' Union (VSU).
Thousands of people in traditional attires joined the traditional stone pulling ceremony. Celebratory yells, folk songs and dances surrounded the event, which concluded with a grand feast.
Prior to the arrival of Christianity, Viswema villagers would pull stone monuments along roadsides leading to their village. These stones measured from about two to twelve feet high. They commemorate feasts given by married couples to the entire village. A preparatory feast called 'Tem-za' followed by three merit feasts 'Zhotho' had to be given by the couple, after which, two pre-selected stones, one for the husband and the other for the wife, were dragged to the village by people in full traditional regalia and planted upright at a vantage spot. During the stone pulling process the accompanying women with food and drink in their baskets take care not to touch the rope or cross over it, as that is considered taboo.
As per tradition, nine such feasts could be extended in succession, as and when convenient. The cycle would then be repeated, if a couple desired to do so. These stone cenotaphs are thus symbols perpetuating the memory of persons through the feasts given by them and was considered the ultimate benchmark of achievement.
Though this ancient custom is no longer practiced, one can still admire the multiple significance of its purpose. It nurtured the culture of sharing and motivated people to put in additional efforts beyond what was required to sustain their lives.
Adding flavor to the festivities at Hornbill 2013, the Nagaland state tourism department in collaboration with the people of Viswema, today showcased the popular stone pulling ceremony at the foothill of Mt. Japfu. The event was held in commemoration of 50th anniversary of the statehood of Nagaland and also in commemoration of the 50 years of Viswema Students' Union (VSU).
Thousands of people in traditional attires joined the traditional stone pulling ceremony. Celebratory yells, folk songs and dances surrounded the event, which concluded with a grand feast.
Prior to the arrival of Christianity, Viswema villagers would pull stone monuments along roadsides leading to their village. These stones measured from about two to twelve feet high. They commemorate feasts given by married couples to the entire village. A preparatory feast called 'Tem-za' followed by three merit feasts 'Zhotho' had to be given by the couple, after which, two pre-selected stones, one for the husband and the other for the wife, were dragged to the village by people in full traditional regalia and planted upright at a vantage spot. During the stone pulling process the accompanying women with food and drink in their baskets take care not to touch the rope or cross over it, as that is considered taboo.
As per tradition, nine such feasts could be extended in succession, as and when convenient. The cycle would then be repeated, if a couple desired to do so. These stone cenotaphs are thus symbols perpetuating the memory of persons through the feasts given by them and was considered the ultimate benchmark of achievement.
Though this ancient custom is no longer practiced, one can still admire the multiple significance of its purpose. It nurtured the culture of sharing and motivated people to put in additional efforts beyond what was required to sustain their lives.
Source :- The Morung Express
This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at rupindang @ gmail . com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com.
