The Gaan Ngai festival is one of the major festivals of Manipur which is celebrated every time after harvesting. The festival also marks the end of the time when the farmers have stored their foodgrains in their granaries. During the festival, the Zeliangrong Community shows their appreciativeness by offering the Almighty a good crop and soliciting for a better and prosperous life in the coming time. It’s a custom to produce new fire by rubbing dry wood and split bamboo pieces and distributing them to every ménage on the day of the festival to mark the morning of the new time. The Gaan Ngai is apost- crop festival. It’s mainly performed by the followers and addicts of the Zeliangrong Indigenous religion of ‘ Poupei Chapriak ’ and ‘ Heraka ’. Gaan Ngai Festival fests, Gaan Ngai is traditionally celebrated in the month of ‘ Gaan- Bu ’ of the indigenous schedule of the Rongmei Naga lineage which generally falls in the month of November or December. Gaan Ngai is celebrated in Assam as per the date fixed using the indigenous Rongmei Naga schedule. In Manipur, Gaan Ngai is celebrated on the 13th day of the Manipur month of “ Wakching ” of the Meetei Manipur schedule with the festival being a state holiday in Manipur.
