Dree Festival facts for kids

The Apatani people live in a peaceful valley called Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, India. They are well-known for their special way of growing rice in wet fields. They also use farming methods that help the environment. Their daily lives revolve around farming seasons. The Dree festival is the most important event in their farming year.

The Story Behind Dree

Long ago, people just looked for food everywhere. Then, two important people, Anii Donii and Abba Liibo, started farming in a fertile area called IIpyo Supuñ. Anii Donii was the first person to settle down, and Abba Liibo was the first to start farming.

They used tools like spades and machetes to clear land. They burned the cleared plants by calling winds from the north and south. Then, they got the soil ready for planting.

There were farm plots, but no rice seeds! So, Anii Donii and Abba Liibo searched for seeds. They found pyapiñ and pyare rice seeds, along with cucumber and corn seeds, at a place called Murtú Lembyañ. But they still needed more.

They looked inside wild rats and boars, but only found grass. Finally, they looked inside a field rat called dilyañ kubu. Inside, they found empu and elañ rice seeds! They followed the rat with a dog and found where the seeds came from. At Hirii Lyandiñ, they saw rice seeds stuck high on a tree called Hirii Tanguñ, along with bees. So, these seeds came from Hirii Anii. All the rice seeds, from Murtu and Hirii, originally came from Hintii Anii.

When Anii Donii and Abba Liibo started planting, storms tried to stop them. But they used baskets and rain guards to keep working. Later, a demon named Pyokuñ Pembò Pyoyi Tadù bothered them a lot. They finally defeated the demon. But their problems weren't over. From the demon's stomach came many insects, pests, and birds that ate the crops. This led to bad harvests and hunger.

To fight these pests and hunger, the Apatanis started performing special rituals during the month of Dree. Achí Kharii was the first priest, helped by a group called the Dree Pontañ. This group included village leaders, wise elders, high priests, and regular people. Everyone in the village gave donations to help pay for the Dree rituals.

The Apatanis believe that Pyodu Au and Dree Yarii cause food shortages and suffering. The Dree rituals are performed in June and July to stop these forces and protect the crops. After the rituals, there's a special time of celebration to mark their victory over evil. This is how the Dree festival began.

Dree Rituals Explained

The Dree festival involves five main rituals to please different gods. These are Tamù, Metii, Meder, Mepiñ, and Danyi.

• Tamù: This ritual helps to keep away insects and pests from the crops.
• Metii: This ritual is performed to prevent diseases and sickness among people.
• Meder: This is a cleaning ritual. It helps to purify the farm fields from anything harmful.
• Mepiñ: This ritual asks for blessings for healthy crops and for the well-being of all people.
• Danyi: This ritual asks for fertile soil, lots of fish in the rice fields, healthy animals, and good fortune for everyone. The Danyi ritual was added later, in 1967.

How Dree Changed

In the past, each Apatani village celebrated Dree on its own, on different dates. It was more of a religious ritual than a big festival.

In 1967, some students from the Apatani community, led by Shri Lod Kojee, thought it would be great to have one big festival for everyone. They noticed that other communities had large central festivals. They discussed changing some Apatani pujas (prayers) or festivals to be celebrated centrally. Because of old traditions, it was hard to change most pujas. But after a lot of talking, Dree was chosen. It could be celebrated centrally without losing its traditional meaning.

They decided that the central Dree celebration would happen every year from July 5th to 7th. Now, villages perform their traditional rituals on July 4th. This way, all the priests from different villages can join the main festival on July 5th. Since then, the Dree festival has been celebrated by all Apatani people on July 5th each year at Nenchalya, near Old Ziro.

Getting Ready for the Festival

In May 1967, the students who wanted to organize the central Dree festival started working. They split into two groups. One group went to Ziro to collect donations from homes. People gave things like mithuns (a type of cattle), goats, chickens, eggs, rice, and other supplies.

The second group, led by Shri Lod Kojee, went to Shillong. They wanted to ask the government for money. They met Shri Jikom Riba, a cultural officer, who then introduced them to Shri P.N. Luthra. He was an adviser to the Governor of Assam. Shri Luthra gave them 1000 rupees for the festival. He also agreed to be the chief guest at the event.

Choosing the Festival Spot

One sunny day in June 1967, a public meeting was held in Old Ziro. The District Commissioner, late R.S. Nag, led the meeting. Village elders, leaders, and students attended. The main topic was choosing the best place for the Dree festival. It was a tough decision, and they discussed it all day.

Different villages suggested different places. For example, people from Reru, Tajang, and Kalung wanted it near Bulla School. People from Hari wanted it near Hari school. Hong village wanted it near Hong school. Mudang Tage and Michi-Bamin villages suggested a spot between Hong and Mudang-Tage. Dutta and Hija villages suggested Nenchanglya, near Hija School.

Finally, everyone agreed on some rules for the location:

• It must be in the center of the valley.
• It must be easy to get to.
• It must have a large playground with enough space for many people and temporary shelters.

The next day, representatives visited all the suggested spots. They reported that Nenchanglya, near Hija schools, met all the conditions. So, Nenchanglya was chosen as the main Dree festival ground.

Dree Today: A Grand Celebration

In the past, Dree was mostly a ritual. But even then, girls would sing traditional songs called Dree Biisi, and boys would play games like wrestling and high jump. These were small events.

Today, Dree is the biggest festival in the Apatani valley. It's celebrated not just in Ziro but also wherever Apatani people live.

On the evening of July 4th, Dree priests traditionally start the festival in their villages. The next day, July 5th, the main celebration begins at the common ground. A special guest raises the Dree flag, and a group of artists sings the Dree Anthem. Everyone gets to enjoy Dree Taku (cucumber) and Dree 'O' (a traditional rice or millet drink), followed by a big community meal.

To make the celebration even more fun, there are Pri-Dances, Daminda, and other folk dances. There are also modern dance and song performances, writing competitions, and sports events. During this time, women visit their older relatives and give them wine. This shows love and respect and helps keep family bonds strong.