What you need to know about Arunachal’s iconic Dree Festival

The Dree Festival is an agricultural festival celebrated by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Every year, it is observed on July 5 with great fervour and zest by the Apatanis. The celebration takes place at Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh.

Taking to Twitter, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Kandu extended greetings to all the Apatani tribe on the occasion Dree festival.

“Dear Apatani brothers & sisters ~ Joyous greetings on #DreeFestival & prayers to Almighty for bountiful harvest and prosperous year ahead. Your celebrations make us proud of our vibrant cultural mosaic and reinforce our bonding of love & peace,” he tweeted.

The Apatani tribe primarily resides in Ziro, which is located in the lower Subansiri district of  Arunachal Pradesh.
The festival, which begins on July 4, is celebrated with tremendous fervour and devotion and it is the main festival of the Apatani tribe. 

The Dree Festival is a celebration to worship agriculture, which provides the majority of the community's revenue in Ziro.

Four important Gods - Tamu, Harniang, Metii, and Danyi - worshipped for bestowing prosperity during the Dree Festival.

The ritual begins with the offering of Apong (local rice beer) to the gods, followed by the sacrifice of the fowls which also are also smeared with apong.

The Mithoon, which is ritually axed and then offered to the gods, is the last sacrifice.
During the festival, every household prepares rice beer and wine and when people visit their relatives, the women of the family frequently give a bottle of beer as a sign of affection to the elderly, their brothers, sisters, sons-in-law, and other family members.

In this festival, a popular dance is performed by the young people which is known as Daming. The traditional welcome dance is done to signify the start and finish of the Dree festival.