Celebrated by the Sumi Naga Tribe, this festival is of great importance for the locals. Fundamentally a harvest festival, Tuluni Festival falls in the month of July and is all about exploring the incredible nuances of the local culture.
People work very tirelessly on the farms throughout the year and this festival comes across as a break time for them. What’s even more interesting to know is that during this festival, the betrothal of all the young couples is also arranged.
The onset of this festival is marked with a fun extravaganza of delightful delicacies, and one such delicacy of this festival is Rice Beer. This beer is mainly served in a goblet which is either made out of bamboo or a leaf of plantain.
Major Attractions of Tuluni Festival
Celebrations. During this festival, animals are slaughtered for meat which is then used in the delicacies of the festival. People allow themselves to drink to their heart’s content. Gifts are exchanged with each other with a sense of appreciation. Prayers are initiated and Gods are presented with beer prepared out of rice. Food is also given as offering on leaves to the people.
The betrothed exchange gifts with each other along with meals. The fiance invites his fiancee to his home for a lavish dinner. Apart from all this, folk songs and ballads are performed to add to the whole vibe of the festivities.
First Day. Known as Asuzani, on this day rice millets are prepared by the locals.
Second Day. Also known as Aghizani, this day mainly goes into the preparation of rice beer.
Third Day. On the third day called Ashigheni cows and pigs are slaughtered.
Fourth Day. This day is considered as the climax of this famous festival of Nagaland. It is also known as the Anighini.
Fifth Day. On this day, people invite their relatives for a grand feast. They also send rice and beer to them.
Sixth Day. This particular day is specifically dedicated to the youth of Nagaland. All the young couples dress in beautiful clothes and enjoy the day with great enthusiasm. In the local language, this day is known as Tupulani.
Seventh Day. On the last day of this festival, people are not allowed to travel outside their village. This is done as a preventive measure, prohibiting the bad spirits to enter the village.
How to Reach
Nagaland is truly an epic destination for travelling and exploring. It is located at a distance of 2,333, 3,160, 3,384, 1,438 km from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata respectively. Here is how you can reach here by the following means of transportation.
By Air. Kohima doesn’t have its own airport. The nearest airport is the Dimapur Airport (DMU) which is located at a distance of 60-70 km from there. Dimapur Airport was built during the period of World War 2 and is the only airport catering to the North-Eastern state of Nagaland.
Various flights operate to and fro this airport connecting many Indian cities. Here is how you can reach here by the following means of transportation. After you deboard at the airport, you will need to cover the remaining distance by some means of public transportation.
- Delhi - Board IndiGo, Air India flights from Indira Gandhi International Airport. The airfares start from Rs.4,000
- Guwahati - Board IndiGo flights from Guwahati Airport. The airfares start from Rs.2,500
- Kolkata - Board IndiGo, Air India flights from Kolkata Airport. The airfares start from Rs.3,000
- Patna - Board Air India flights from Patna Airport. The airfares start from Rs.5,000
- Lucknow - Board Air India, IndiGo, Go Air flights from Lucknow Airport. The airfares start from Rs.5,000
By Train. Your best option to reach here by train is the Dimapur Railway Station. It is situated on the Lumding-Dibrugarh section in the Dimapur district of Nagaland. This station doesn't have great connectivity with other Indian cities. After deboarding at the train station, you will need to cover the remaining distance by some means of public transportation. Here is how you can reach here by the following routes.
- Guwahati - Board Janshatabadi Express from Guwahati Junction and deboard at the Dimapur station
- Kolkata - Board New Tinsukia Express from Howrah Junction and deboard at the Dimapur station
By Road - Depending upon your location, you can choose to travel via road as well via your own vehicle, bus or a cab.
Here is how you can reach here by the following means of transportation.
- Tezpur - 289 km via NH29
- Mokokchung - 145 km via NH2
- Siliguri - 802 km via NH27
- Kolkata - 1,364 km via NH19 or NH27
- Tuli - 218 km via NH2 or NH29
- Shillong - 450-500 km via AH1 or AH2
- Agartala - 670 km via NH27 or NH6
You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here
