'Dree Festival' Celebrated by the Apatani Tribe in Arunachal

Itanagar, July 6, 2019:

The 'Dree festival' was celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday. The Dree festival is a popular festival in Arunachal Pradesh and it is an important agricultural festival of the Apatani tribe. This is the biggest festival celebrated by Apatani and it is marked by sacrificial offerings and prayers.

Joining with rest of the state, the Apatani brethren of Miao with much fanfare and gaiety celebrated their agricultural based fest Dree at Donyi Polo ground here yesterday.

First time Diyun-Bordumsa MLA Shomlung Mossang graced the occasion as Chief Guest, flanked by Guest of Honor Tage Rumi, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Miao, Chief Patron Er. Kago Tabiyo (Chief Engineer RWD), Rev. Bishop Dr. George Palliparambil, Chatu Longri, Sekhum Ronrang, Principal, GHSS, Miao, officers, public leaders etc.

The fest kick-started at 10.30 am with hoisting of DREE flag followed by Daminda folk dances and songs.

There are around 34 Apatani households in and around Miao with a population of 180 plus.

Every member of Apatani Community of all ages clad in eye catching traditional attire thronged the festival ground to ensure stupendous success of Dree. The Apatani community have been celebrating their fest without fail annually since 1998 here.

Chief guest Shomlung Mossang while congratulating Apatani community on DREE, stressed hard on preservation of one's mother tougue, communal harmony, preservation of mother nature by keeping the area clean, green and safe.

"Since our tribal festivals are directly connected with nature, it is our prime responsibility to stop poaching, killing of birds, deforestation, and take up plantation of trees on war footing" , Mossang said, adding that "by doing so, we can proudly say we are devotees of God's that we believe" . Mossang further said social evils like drug addiction rampant in the area can only be put to a permanent halt through love and care and not through hatred. If we fail to check our youths, and the menace is not stopped, the establishment of any educational or other infrastructures is meaningless.

Dree is celebrated in order to bring a bountiful harvest season, hence, the Apatani offer prayers to four Gods they follow: Tamu, Harniang, Metii, and Danyi. This three day long agricultural festival is joyously celebrated with traditional cloths worn by women and children.

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