About Tuluni

About Tuluni

Tuluni is the great festival of the Sumi Naga people of Nagaland, kept every year on 8 July. It comes in the middle of the farming year, when the fields are green and the granaries still hold the last harvest, so it is a time of plenty and good cheer.

The festival takes its name from tuluni, the rice drink that is served in cups made from plantain leaves. Families cook generous feasts of rice, pork and vegetables, and no one is left out: in the old days, masters served the best food to the people who worked for them.

Tuluni is also a season of love and family. Engaged couples exchange food and gifts, and a son-in-law is welcomed with special care at his wife's home. Friends visit each other, sing folk songs and play traditional games.

In Zunheboto, Dimapur and Kohima, Sumi communities gather for dances in colourful shawls, songs and community feasts, and the day is a holiday for many in Nagaland.