Medumneo Festival

Translation of audio file

My name is Rev Athsan. I am a pastor at Yimkhiung Baptist Church, Dimapur and I am very honoured and thankful to God for the opportunity to serve in this town. Today, I want to talk a little about one of the many festivals celebrated by the Yimkhiungs, which is the Medemneo festival. Our forefathers celebrated many festivals, each with a specific meaning but among those, one that has been celebrated by both the young and old is Medemneo. This festival was originally celebrated with a special focus on infants, particularly those under the age of one. It served as a commemoration of the new lives born each year and also as a remembrance of the spirits of those who had passed away within that same year. The joyous celebration of this festival has its roots in the traditions practised by our forefathers- in the days leading up to the festival, people would make preparations such as cleaning their homes and streets, fetching water, and so. The festival spans from the 1st to the 8th of August, with the 7th and 8th being the most significant days. During this festival, an important practice involves the slaughter of animals and preparation of the meat for the children. The meat is further shared among families and neighbours, often wrapped in banana leaves. These practices continue to be observed to this day. Although the festival is celebrated by children, the adults seem to enjoy it more. Parents would bring stems of maize for their children from the fields and the children would play with them like spears. Both the young and old would play games during this time. Another significant point is that during Medemneo, many young men and women would become betrothed and it was also a time of reconciliation, forgiving one another and resolving conflicts.

Today as Christians, we do not necessarily follow every practice or tradition that was practiced by our forefathers; we now rather celebrate this festival by giving thanks to God for the lives of the newborns born each year and pray for their good health and life. Medemneo and its meaning and significance may be interpreted in many ways but according to me, these are some of the most important ones.