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About Gaan-Ngai

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About Gaan-Ngai

Gaan-Ngai is the biggest festival of the Zeliangrong people, the Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei and Inpui Nagas of Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. It is held in the cold season, in December or January, after the crops are safely home, and it marks the end of the old year and the start of the new.

Gaan means the cold season and Ngai means festival. The heart of the festival is the new fire. Elders make fire in the old way, by rubbing dry wood and bamboo together, and the new flame is carried to every home to light the hearth for the year ahead.

For five days the villages are full of life. Young men and women in bright traditional shawls and headgear dance to drums and gongs, sing old songs and share feasts of rice, meat and rice beer. Elders bless the young, and the community prays to Tingkao Ragwang, the supreme god, for health and a rich harvest.

Gaan-Ngai is a holiday in Manipur, and the Zeliangrong communities in Imphal, Tamenglong, Peren and Haflong keep it with pride, as a festival of thanks, unity and new beginnings.

How people celebrate Gaan-Ngai

  • Making the new fire by rubbing wood and bamboo
  • Carrying the new fire to every hearth
  • Dances in traditional shawls and headgear
  • Drums, gongs and old songs
  • Community feasts after the harvest
  • Elders blessing the young

How to wish well

  • Wish Zeliangrong friends a warm new year, a full granary and good health.
  • A mention of the new fire or the dances makes the wish personal.
  • "Happy Gaan-Ngai" is the simple greeting everyone uses.

Questions about Gaan-Ngai

When is Gaan-Ngai?

In the cold season, on the thirteenth day of the Meitei month Wakching, in December or January. It lasts about five days. The date for each year is shown on this page.

Who celebrates Gaan-Ngai?

The Zeliangrong Naga people, that is the Zeme, Liangmai, Rongmei and Inpui, in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam.

What does Gaan-Ngai mean?

Gaan is the cold season and Ngai is festival, so it is the festival of the cold season, after the harvest.

What is the new fire of Gaan-Ngai?

Elders make a new fire by rubbing dry wood and bamboo, without matches. It is carried to every home to light the hearth for the new year.

Is Gaan-Ngai a holiday?

Yes, it is a holiday in Manipur.

What do you say on Gaan-Ngai?

Say "Happy Gaan-Ngai" and wish someone a warm and blessed new year.

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