Tuluni, a festival of the Sumi Naga tribe celebrated in July, belongs to which state?

Tuluni is one of the most important festivals of the Sumi (Sema) Naga tribe of Nagaland. It is celebrated every year in July, with the main celebrations on 8 July, mainly in the Zunheboto district, the homeland of the Sumis.

Tuluni is a festival of plenty and joy, celebrated in the middle of the farming season, after the sowing of crops and before the harvest. The name of the festival comes from "tuluni" or "tuluna", the traditional rice beer, which is served in a cup made of a leaf of the plantain tree. The rice beer plays a central role in the celebrations. The festival is a time of feasting, merrymaking and celebration, and it is also known as "Anni", a season of plenty. During the festival, families prepare great feasts of meat and rice beer, and share them with relatives, friends and the poor. An important tradition of Tuluni is that engaged couples exchange food, and the families of the bride and groom visit each other and exchange gifts; for this reason, Tuluni is also regarded as a festival of marriage and courtship. Employers also hold feasts for their workers, and people renew bonds of friendship.

The Sumis are one of the major Naga tribes. Their other important festival is Ahuna, a post-harvest festival celebrated in November, in which rice is cooked in bamboo tubes, and the way the rice is cooked is used to predict the fortune of the coming year.

Nagaland has 16 or more major tribes, each with its own festivals, such as Sekrenyi (Angami), Moatsu (Ao), Aoleang (Konyak), Yemshe (Pochury) and Tsokum (Khiamniungan). The Hornbill Festival, held from 1 to 10 December at Kisama near Kohima, brings all these cultures together.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Arunachal Pradesh is known for Losar, Solung and Dree.
• ✗Assam is known for the Bihus.
• ✗Tripura is known for Kharchi Puja.