Apatani Dree Festival of Arunachal Pradesh

The Indian calendar is one long procession of festivals. One such is a Dree festival of the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the biggest festival in Apatani valley and is celebrated at other places as well wherever the Apatanis live.The literary meaning of ‘Dree’ is one who borrows or purchases food grains from others in order to meet the shortage by addition to one’s old and new stock of food grains.

Ever since the Apatanis have shifted to present Ziro valley, they have been upholding their traditions, cultures and customs with great pride. The mythology of the Apatanis speaks a volume about their culture, traditions, customs and rituals.

In olden days the Dree was observed on different days according to the convenience of the concerned 'Dree Goras' or 'Pontangs', - an organizing committee at village level. It could not be called as festival in true sense; rather it was a ritual performance of the Apatanis.

On the appointed day, after being dressed up as warriors, the priest along with his assistant recite incantations called ‘Dree Barni’ for a day sitting on the oldest clan community platform made of wood which is erected in every village known as ‘Lapang’. Lapang has both social and religious significance as people discuss social issues on it besides conducting important festivals. After the completion of the recital of the incantation, the priests goes around all the clans lapang along with sacrificial animals, fowls and eggs to the gods– Tamu, Metii and DanyiPiilo - the Sun and Moon God.

The purpose of the festival is to appease these gods so that famine could be avoided. The Apatanis are famous for their unique practice of wet rice cultivation. One would wonder as to how the early Apatanis had brilliantly discovered the magnificent irrigated rice without use of scientific technologies.

Rice is the staple food of the Apatanis, as such for its bumper harvest the nature God and goddesses are prayed during the Dree Festival from 4 to 7 July of each year. Apart from certain rituals dance, cultural program and Mr. and Mrs. Apatani contest also mark a grand celebration.

The festival also provides an opportunity to members of other societies to be acquainted with the rich traditional cultural of the community.

In the festivals and other joyful fetes, dancing and musical songs play an important role. In fact the Apatani tribes perform many conventional dances, amongst which dances like Daminda is very popular. Daminda is the most important traditional and folk song of the tribe and is associated with the Dree festival and is mostly sung by womenfolk and children of the community. The traditional song Daminda showcases the greatness of Apatanis of the past and present, sketches the geographical location of the Apatanis and their neighbouring tribes, and recalls beautiful memories of love affairs of man and woman exemplifying their ancestors.

Earlier the Dree did not occupy such status in the society as compared to Murung and Myoko festivals. Now, with the help of administration and educated society, the Dree festival is being organised in a large scale at a centralized place, which brings together not only Apatanis but also other communities as well cementing the bonds of unity, integrity and friendship.

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