SENAPATI: The Kanghi Festival, a significant post-harvest celebration of the Maram tribe, was observed with traditional fervor at Maram Khullen. The festival, also known as Kanghisangi, is a ten-day event typically held in December, culminating in displays of community strength, including the traditional practice of naked wrestling.
The festivities commenced with the decoration of buffalos and cows, followed by cockfights and wrestling competitions for the youth. On the third day, married couples exchange gifts, and the community gathers for a grand feast, which includes the ritual sacrifice of a dog. The dog’s head is then presented to the girls’ dormitory.
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The festival also features long jump competitions and the communal sharing of rice-beer among boys and girls, celebrating the tribe’s rich cultural heritage through music, dance, and communal bonding.
Addressing the media, Maram Khullen Chief Sagongnamba stated that the Kanghi Festival is a time when all villagers, including the three primary clans—Mathak Sagei, Makha Sagei, and Khullakpa Sagei—come together. “The festival showcases one’s strength through wrestling between the three clans,” he explained. “This wrestling later turns into a naked wrestling competition, held as a display of strength and entertainment between the clans during November and December.”
During the naked wrestling event, members of the three clans sit separately, representing their respective Sagei (clan) groups. The festival, which reinforces strong community bonds and cultural identity, concludes with villagers returning to their fields to prepare for the upcoming agricultural cycle.
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