Reh, the Festival of Idu Mishmis Celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh

Reh Festival is one of the significant festivals of the Idu Mishmis in Arunachal Pradesh and is celebrated every year from February 1-3.

What is Reh festival?

Reh is a festival where the devotees offer worship to the Divine Mother 'Nanyi Inyitaya'. They believe that unless one offers worship to the divine god or celebrates this festival, none can get her blessings and keep alive the bond of brotherhood and social feeling strong.

How is it celebrated? 

The Reh festival is generally celebrated for six days starting from the 01st of February every year. 'Andropu' is referred to as the first day when prayers are offered for the smoothing function of the celebration. On that day, mithuns are tied near the house and they perform the 'Naya' dance during the night. The second day is referred to as the 'Eyanli' which is known as the killing day of the Mithuns (an animal) and buffaloes for sacrificial rituals to offer their god 'Nanyi Inyitaya'. Guest visits and have rice, rice beer (Yunyiphri), and meat altogether. The third day is the 'Iyili' when the grand feast is organized and presents a meal-ice and everyone gathers and celebrates with each other. The fourth day is referred to as 'Ilyiromunyi' where the priest performs worship for the devotees for prosperity and well-being. The fifth day is the 'Aru-Go' when the remaining food and drinks are prepared and gifted to co-villagers. The final day is called the 'Etoanu' when the blood-smeared seeds are sown in the fields and rice beer is poured at the trunk of the stump for the goddess of the household.

They celebrate the festival in a grand manner and it seems to be very expansive and investing. The preparation takes place prior to Four to five years to celebrate this festival in the right manner as several offerings are being made in the form of cash or animals. Plus, the one who wishes to celebrate this festival, they have to be a part of a system named 'Ada' which means a collection of offerings in the form of pigs, money, and food, etc. When this is done, a tentative year is fixed about one year ahead of the actual celebration. A prime beverage of this festival, the rice-beer (Yunyiphri) is being prepared prior to 3 to 4 months. And finally, before few days of celebration, a calendar named 'tayi' is being gifted among the relatives and villagers which tells the accurate schedule of the occasion.

Arunachal Pradesh CM on Reh festival: 

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Prema Khandu took to Twitter to offer greetings and wishes to the Mishmi community on this special occasion.

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