'Chachin Charai Festival' celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh
Local shepherds of the Tawang area near Bumla Pass in Arunachal Pradesh celebrated the 'Chachin Charai' festival on 14-15 July 2023. Shepherds from all over the Tawang region enthusiastically participated in the two-day program organized at Chachin.
About 100 herdsmen and their herds of yaks, which numbered more than 400, participated in the event. The festival was accompanied by a lecture on animal health, and a medical camp was organized to assist the local herdsmen.
Chachin, along with other traditional grazing areas near Bumla Pass, has long been an integral part of the local Monpa lifestyle, which relies heavily on nomadic herding as a primitive form of subsistence farming.
Bonalu Fest
Bonalu gets its name from the word 'bonam', which in Telugu means a meal or a feast. The Bonalu festival dedicated to Goddess Mahakali is celebrated every year in the southern Indian state of Telangana, especially in the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Bonalu is celebrated in the month of Ashadha, which according to the modern calendar falls around July-August. On the first and last day of the festival, special pujas and other religious ceremonies are conducted for 'Yelamma', which is believed to be one of the many regional incarnations of Mahakali.
Besides Yellamma, other forms of the goddess such as Maisamma, Pochamma, Peddamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma, and Nookkalamma are worshiped during this period.
Under this, rice cooked with milk and jaggery is offered to the goddess in a brass or earthen pot decorated with neem leaves, turmeric, and vermilion. A burning lamp is placed on top of the pot, which the women then place on their heads and make offerings to the deity in various temples along with turmeric vermilion, bangles, and sarees.
