ITANAGAR, 5 Jul: The Apatani community residing in the capital region celebrated Dree festival with a two-day programme in a subdued manner, in view of the pandemic, at the Dree ground in Papu Nallah.
Unlike in previous years, no cultural programmes, exhibitions, food stalls, etc, were organized this year. Only Dree rituals were performed on 4 July. “A large number of priests participated to seek blessings from the almighty to end the pandemic and for humankind,” CCFC 2021 general secretary Taniyang Tatung said.
The main celebration was held on 5 July. The Dree flag was unfurled by CCDFCC chairman Millo Pushang.
Prizes to the winners of Mr Jompu contest, the best social workers and the winners of the badminton competitions which were held in March this year were distributed.
Apart from these, an audio album containing dance songs like ‘Daminda’, ‘Pakhu Itu’ and ‘Mega dance’ was released by IPS officer Michi Pakhu, while the Dree souvenir, Rediscovering the vanishing cultures of the Apatanis, was released by RN Koley.
Speaking on the occasion, Pushang emphasized on “preservation, documentation and promotion of the rich cultural heritage left behind by our forefathers.”
CCDFCC-2021 vice chairman Takhe Kani presented a brief on the mythology of Dree festival and narrated how modern Dree celebration started in Ziro.
Koley was all praise for the Apatanis for their systematic land-use practices, rich traditional ecological knowledge and natural resources management and conservation.
