Northeast India is home to some of the most vibrant cultural celebrations in India, thanks to a diverse population of indigenous tribes. One of them is the Ao Naga, known for celebrating the Moatsu Festival in Mokokchung, Nagaland.
The festival, also known as Moatsu Mong, is a three-day celebration held annually in the first week of May. It is celebrated to mark the end of the sowing season and acts as a time of relaxation for the hardworking members of the Ao Naga tribe.
Here’s all you need to know about the Moatsu Mong Festival of Nagaland.
The Moatsu Mong Festival, Nagaland: Festival Guide
Significance Of Moatsu Mong Festival
The Ao Naga tribe is an agrarian tribe, relying on agriculture for their livelihood. This tribe has been celebrating the Moatsu Festival for generations.
After they sow seeds and prepare the fields, they celebrate the festival as an event of completion of their labor. Moatsu Mong is a festival when the community comes together and thanks spirits for protecting their crops. It is a time for the Ao tribe to relax and participate in community bonding.
At the core of the festival lies a deep sense of gratitude towards nature, as it is the only means of livelihood for the tribe.
The festival is a celebration of the symbiotic bond between nature and humans as the tribe believes in not just using nature for their own benefit but also honoring it in the most dignified way.
Moatsu Mong is mostly about honoring nature but it is also about honoring the elders of the community.
Celebration Of Moatsu Festival 2025
Moatsu Mong is a three-day festival where each day is filled with rituals and celebrations. As the festival is about to begin, the community members close their village gate. They also participate in cleaning the village.
The people decorate their homes with flowers and wear their best traditional attire. Not only that, but they also come together to sing traditional folk songs, dance.
They make use of instruments like bamboo flutes and log drums to play music. Other highlights of the festival include community feasts and rice beer drinking, as well as competitions like tug-of-war and wrestling.
All the community members, young and old alike, participate in the vibrant festivities of the Moatsu Mong. The festival is a time for showcasing the artistic brilliance of the members of the Ao tribe.
They craft various items from bamboo and wood, including ornaments, baskets, tools, hats, etc and make use of them in the festival as well after the conclusion of the festival.
Music plays a major role in the festival with the members playing folk songs using instruments like log drums and bamboo flutes. The music celebrates nature, love, bravery, and community. Songs and dances are practiced before the festival begins.
Food And Attire During The Moatsu Festival 2025
The festival is a time when the Ao tribe wears their best traditional attire to celebrate and take pride in their culture. Men typically wear shawls colored in red, white, and black designs.
These shawls feature patterns that are symbolic of the tribe’s status, bravery, and their identity. Women don colorful skirts and tops and adorn themselves with different ornaments made of shells, feathers, animal horns, and beads.
The clothes are not just worn for the sake of it, but each piece of clothing and ornament is representative of the person’s identity, their status in the tribe, and the role they play.
Now, let’s talk about the culinary customs observed during the Moatsu Mong Festival. Food forms an important part of the Moatsu celebration as it brings the community together. They prepare special community meals and enjoy it with their family members and guests.
Here, you’ll find a lot of local ingredients like rice, bamboo shoots, leafy greens, and pork being used in the food, with smoked pork being a particularly favorite delicacy. The pork is seasoned well with herbs and slow-cooked to extract its rich flavors.
On top of that, they pair the pork with chillies, fermented soybeans, and local green vegetables. To wash down all this food, the tribe enjoys the food with homemade rice beer called ‘zutho’.
Drinking is an important part of the Ao culture, in fact, the rice beer is used in many significant rituals during the Moatsu Mong Festival.
How To Reach Mokokchung In Nagaland
Air route
The Jorhat Airport is the domestic airport closest to Mokokchung, located at a distance of 139 km. It is best to book a cab from the airport to reach Mokokchung as there are hardly any other options available.
Rail route
The Mariani Railway Station is the closest railhead to Mokokchung, at a distance of 85.5 km. Trains such as LTT Dibrugarh Express, Dibrugarh New Delhi Shatabdi Express, and Kolkata Dibrugarh Express are some long-distance trains that halt at Mariani. You can hire a local cab to reach Mokokchung.
Road route
While Mokokchung is located in a hilly region, it enjoys decent road connectivity with other cities in Nagaland. You can hire a cab to reach the village or if you want you can also choose to self-drive.
Summing Up
Northeast India is home to some of the most unique tribes in India, with each of them having their own customs and traditions.
Despite their diversity, a common underlying thread that brings them together is their love and respect for nature. Moatsu Mong is one such celebration of the Ao Naga tribe that honors nature’s bounty.
If you’re visiting Nagaland in May, make sure to be a part of their festivities.
FAQs
How Many Days Is The Moatsu Festival Celebrated For?
The Moatsu festival is celebrated for three days, with each day filled with important rituals and festivities.
What Is The Significance Of The Moatsu Festival?
Moatsu festival is celebrated to mark the end of the sowing season. The people of the Ao tribe celebrate the festival as an opportunity to relax and participate in communal bonding.
Who Are The Ao Nagas?
The Ao Nagas are a major Naga ethnic group native to Mokokchung in Nagaland. They were the first Nagas to embrace Christianity and take up western philosophies as a result.
