SSC
Gaan-Ngai, a five-day post-harvest festival, is celebrated by which community of the North-East?
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Answer: Option B — Zeliangrong Nagas
Detailed Solution
Gaan-Ngai (also called Chakan Gaan-Ngai) is the most important festival of the Zeliangrong Naga people, who live in Manipur, Assam and Nagaland. It is a five-day festival celebrated in winter, usually in December or January, after the harvest of the crops.
The word "Zeliangrong" is formed from the names of three closely related Naga tribes: the Zeme, the Liangmai and the Rongmei (also called Kabui). Together they form the Zeliangrong community. The largest number of them live in the Tamenglong, Noney and Imphal districts of Manipur, as well as in Assam's Cachar and Dima Hasao districts and in Nagaland's Peren district.
Gaan-Ngai is a festival of thanksgiving for the harvest, of honouring the gods and the dead, and of welcoming the new year. It is also known as the festival of light, because new fire is made in the traditional way, by rubbing wood and bamboo together, at the start of the festival, and is distributed to all the homes in the village. The festival includes prayers and offerings to Tingkao Ragwang, the supreme god in the traditional Zeliangrong faith, and to the ancestors, a farewell to the souls of those who died during the year, feasting, traditional games, sports and competitions, and the singing of traditional songs. Young men and women perform colourful dances in their traditional dress, with the boys and girls of the village dormitories taking an important part. The festival also marks the passage of young people from one age group to another.
The Zeliangrong people are known for their rich oral traditions, colourful traditional costumes and dances. Rani Gaidinliu, the famous freedom fighter who fought against British rule, belonged to the Rongmei (Zeliangrong) community; Jawaharlal Nehru called her the "Rani of the Nagas".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Meiteis are the main community of the Imphal valley in Manipur, who celebrate Lai Haraoba and Yaoshang.
- ✗Khasis of Meghalaya celebrate Nongkrem and Shad Suk Mynsiem.
- ✗Mizos of Mizoram celebrate Chapchar Kut and Pawl Kut.
Quick tip
Remember: Gaan-Ngai = the Zeliangrong Nagas (Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei). Rani Gaidinliu also belonged to this community.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.