QUEST - a research based journal - July 2014

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"Traditional Festivals : Appreciating their Sociological & Philosophical Dimensions" is the Theme of the QUEST Volume VII No. 1 of July 2014.

Each person has to cope with the physical, social and magico-religious environment for his or her survival. To fulfill the needs of food, shelter one has to work with clockwork precision. Due to the strenuous work throughout the year life of human beings become insipid. Therefore, to regain the vigour and inclination in life each society of the world celebrates some festivals in different times of the year. Therefore, it can be said that festivals are indispensable part of human life.

Northeast India is the meeting point of a number of communities, both tribal and non-tribal, having their pristine languages, ethos, mores, culture and ethnic affiliations. Almost all the communities of Northeast India have their stories of migration depicting their arrival from far and near and permanently settling in this part of India. In hills the people principally practice Jhumming, while in fertile valleys they practice permanent cultivation. Exceptions are there like the terrace cultivation of the Angamis of Nagaland and Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh. These people observe a good number of festivals integral to their principal economy and the traditional faiths. Hills- plains relation of Northeast India is a common feature and due to this unavoidable relation some of the festivals are observed in some places enveloping both the populations of hills and plains. A clear example is the Jonbeel Mela of Morigaon area of Assam where the Tiwas, Karbis, Khasis, Pnars and the Assamese people irrespective of caste and creed assemble expressing symbol of peace, pleasure and integrity.

This issue of Quest is an effort towards gaining a deeper understanding of traditional festivals in their varied and fascinating forms, and how they share many unifying elements.