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Solung-Adi Festival
Solung is the colourful festival of the Adi Minyong group. The festivities last for seven days and the villagers prepare rice beer and store plenty of meat and vegetables for the joyous occasion.
In the Solung they try to propitiate both Doying-Bote and Kine-nane and if they are pleased and satisfied the former will appear in the form of clouds and rains and latter will appear in the form of great fertility of soil. They land together on the surface of the earth where ultimately their union take place. It is believed that their successful union will lead to high yields of crops, more animals like mithun, pigs etc and ultimately wealth and prosperity for men.
Solung celebration continues for five days, first day is called, 'Solung-Gidi
Dogin' or the day of preparations, second and the main day of the celebration is called Doreph-Long (the day of animal sacrifice), third day is 'Binnayat
Binam' or worshipping the goddess of plenty and prosperity. Fourth day is
Yaktor of Ekoph when the villagers remains busy preparing bows and arrows and other weapons of war. On the fifth day the Miri (religious leader or priest) is given a ceremonial send off when the girl's sing and dance. During Solung festival, every evening the
Miri sings 'Solung Abung' and through the song he relates the stories about the origin of man, animals and plants, ancestry of the
Adis, lives and deeds of the Adi Heroes. Solung is celebrated in the month of August or September but there is no fixed date for it. Now-a-days in some places, the festival is celebrated with a three day programme.
Solung is celebrated to reap a rich harvest after sowing of seeds and transplantation of paddy plants, to raise more
mithuns and pigs and also to be free from natural calamities, fire, accidents, diseases etc.
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