Myoko Festival, Arunachal Pradesh

For a traditional tribal festival off the beaten track, don't miss the month-long Myoko festival of the Apatani Tribe. The festival is celebrated among three communities in Ziro -- Diibo-Hija, Hari-Bulla, and Hong of Apatani plateau -- on a rotational basis. It includes rituals for prosperity, fertility, purification, and sacrifice performed by the village shaman or priest, and many interesting cultural elements such as folk performances and processions. The shaman is the most important figure in the community. At dawn on the second day of the festival, each clan in the village collects pigs to be sacrificed. The shamans recite sacred prayers and mantras while women sprinkle the pigs with flour and rice beer. Afterward, they're taken to the huts of their owners to be sacrificed. When: Late March each year. The second, third and fourth days are most interesting for visitors Where: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh