Ruolsafak celebrated at Haflong DIMA HASAO DISTRICT {Assam}

Ruolsafak, the major festival of Hrangkhol is being celebrated with traditional fervor and fun fare in different villages like Muolpung, Lungkhok, Zion, Rabi etc of Dima Hasao by the people of Hrangkhol community today (Wednesday)

This community festival is most important for Hrangkhol community. It is also considered to be the harvesting festival as well as the bidding goodbye to the passing year and welcome to the New Year. Previously the day was not fixed, the festival was celebrated accordingly to the conveniences of the village, during the last part of January and the first part of February every year. But since 1998 February, the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council warmly welcomed the festival and declared as the local holiday every year.

In the observance of the festival, both of young boys and girls of the village (kho tanggva) take the leading parts to be a grand success. Under the leadership of Tangva ulien, the youth are most engaged from ahead of the time of the actual celebration. The earnings (Vengasuoilhlo) of the village youth (khotangya) by doing physical labour and the earnings from village women (khonupui) are spent in the festival. In some village, the youth cultivate a patch of jhum land themselves and what ever earning they could get from the cultivated land, is spent for the celebration of this festival. This festival is celebrated for two days continuously. First day, early in the morning, the village priest along with his co-elders performs a ritual rites called Naran pnak/Tarpa phak/ pray to god, scarifying an older cock and hen and cooked it with rice called Nempok.

After eating theis Nempok with rice beer (Zu), the priest announces and declares the festival and its purpose to the villagers. The priest and his co-elder hold fast till noon. Holding of grand feast with the meat, rice beer, dancing and singing are the prime components of the festival. The elder may enjoy apart from the youths. 

On the 2nd Day it is for competition (ruol irsiet) on traditional games and sports, singing and dancing. At the end, at night all get together and have feast, thus Ruolsafak ends for the year.

Source: Assam times

BUSHU DIMA FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATED IN THE DISTRICT OF DIMA HASAO ASSAM

Busu Dima, the biggest local festival of Dima Hasao district in Assam, began on Friday and will continue for one week. Despite a chilly Friday morning, the Busu Dima festival, also the post-harvest festival of the Dimasa Kacharis, was celebrated in every town and village of the hill district.

Residents of Dimasa-dominated areas in neighbouring Cachar, Karbi Anglong, Nogaon and Dimapur also gathered ib large numbers to join the Baidima, the name of the dazzling Dimasa dance, on the day of their much-vaunted Bihu.

NSCN militants nabbed in Dima Hasao

SILCHAR, Jan 31: Peace seemed to elude the turbulent Dima Hasao district even though the major militant outfits had laid down arms to return to the mainstream. Dreaded terrorists from the neighbouring states used to either sponsor the local outfits or directly involved themselves in subversive activities. NSCN (I-M) was instrumental in the rise of Jewel Garlosa’s DHD, the most dreaded Dimasa militant outfits which unleashed terror in the hill district. On October 2, 2009 the Jewel faction of the DHD laid down arms and since then the outfit’s activities had ebbed down majorly. But the NSCN was still active. Sources said, the Khaplang faction of the Naga militant outfit used to extend military assistance to the Hill Tiger Force, an outfit of the non-Dimasa tribes demanding bifurcation of Dima Hasao into two separate autonomous councils. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in recent times alleged that the Naga militants were behind the carnage in the Dimasa villages by the HTF militants. On Monday, army nabbed one NSCN (I-M) militant and another linkman of the outfit from Lodibasti, a Naga infested area. The militant was identified as Keishing Zeme and other one was Changlobe Kuame. An AK-56 rifle was recovered from the residence of Keishing and three AK-56 rifles and some ammunition were recovered from Kuame’s place. It was suspected that these two militants were involved in the kidnapping and murder of JS Sidhu and Ramen Sarma, two senior officers of JP Cement and Assam Mineral Development Corporation. Sources said, the arrest of two Naga militants once again proved that Dima Hasao was still the safe haven for the NSCN (I-M). Source: The Sentinel