Introduction:

• Tiwa (Lalung) is indigenous (Tibeto-Burman race) community inhabiting the states of Assam and Meghalaya (main region) and also found in some parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in Northeast India.
• They are recognized as a Scheduled tribe within the State of Assam. They were known as Lalungs in the Assamese Buranjis, Colonial literature and in the Constitution of India, though members of the group prefer to call themselves Tiwa (meaning "the people who were lifted from below"). Some of their neighbours still call them Lalung.
• Festivals constitute a significant part of the culture of the Tiwa people. There are many festivals of Tiwa tribes. Tiwa people celebrate several occasions and festivals. The main festivals of the Tiwa tribes are: Three Pisu (Bihu), Borot Utsav, Sogra Phuja, Wansuwa, Jonbeel Mela, Kabla Phuja, Langkhon Phuja, Yangli Phuja Etc.

Tiwa Pisu (Bihu):

• Tiwas of different areas observe Bihu in different days of the week. Though there is similarity with other communities as the main agricultural festivals, in some dance form and rituals the Tiwas bihu is distinctive.
• Some of the distinctive Bihu features of Tiwas are Boka Nach, Jora Tola ceremony, Bheti Karha ceremony, Gosai Utiowa utsav etc.

Jonbeel/Jonbil Mela:

• Jonbeel Mela is one of the most attractive festivals of Assam. Jonbeel Mela is held every year during the winter season at a historic place known as Dayang Belguri at Jonbeel. Jonbeel is like the crescent moon that is why the mela on the side of the bill is named as Jonbeel.
• Jon and Beel are Assamese terms for the Moon and a wetland respectively. It is a 3-day-long community fair held at the weekend of Magh Bihu. This is traditionally the Gobha Haat of barter exchange.
• On the Jonbeel Mela, a huge market or bazaar is held where the people of different tribes interchange their merchandise with the local people in barter system.

Borot Utsav:

• The word Barat originated from Sanskrit word Brata. The meaning of the word Brata is penance observed to satisfy the God. Barat utsav is a community utsav of Tiwa Tribes, which bears a traditional religious-cultural character.
• Brata festival is celebrated in the full moon day called Purnima of the month of Puha. The festival is observed to make the society free from pestilence, epidemic or aggression of wild animals.
• In the beginning of the festival, young people from different villages even from distant areas come to the place of festival with decorated birds of wood and bamboo fixed to a long bamboo or read. Peerajuj is one special feature of the Barat utsav. It is observed in the end of the festival.

Sogra Phuja:

• Sagra Phuja is a spring festival of Tiwa community. This festival is observed in the month of Fagun.
• In this festival mainly the bachelors participate. This festival is full of music and dance. It is known that the bachelor’s dormitory Samadai becomes the centre of this festival.
• This festival starts with worship of Langkhun and Mahadeo with sacrifices of goat, fowl and other birds.

Wansuwa:

• One of the biggest clan of tiwas the ‘Amkhawali’ people are used to celebrate ‘WANSUWA’ festival in the interval of every five to six years. This festival celebrated during the month of May and first part of July and generally its start on Tuesday and completed on Thursday.
• The main function occurred on Wednesday at the residence of ‘SHANGDOLOI’. Where the ‘SHAM’ (wooden mortar, UROL in Assamese) are buried nearly half portion at the open ground in a circle. The youths of same clan came from different villages took parts in the dance of ‘Wansuwa’ and with the rhythm of KHRAM, PANGSI and THURANG they used to grind the wet rice with ‘Lomphor’ (wooden pestle / Ural mari in Assamese) till rice became powder.
• Then the ‘Pisai’ (office bearer) of the villages distribute this ‘wankuri’ to every household and the household cooked it in water vapors and in the next morning bring the ‘Wan rusa’ (cooked rice cake) in the house of ‘Shangdoloi’ and performed the rituals activities by offering the ‘Wan rusa’ to ‘SODONGA RAJA’ and ‘MALDEO’.
• Then they mixed all the ‘Wan rusa’ and again distribute it to every household of the village. As such by late evening of Thursday the ‘WANSUWA’ festival come to an end. Next morning the villagers pay respect and farewell the youths from different villages who have participated in this ‘WANSUWA’.
• It is to be noted that this festival is performed under strict supervisions of ‘Shangdoloi, Shangmaji, Huruma, Khuramul’ and others officials of the village.

Moinari Kanthi Misawa (Kabla Phuja):

• One of the major clan or group of Tiwa’s the Makrowali believed ‘Kabla’ as their main deity. Amongst all deities of tiwa’s only Kabla do not accept any phuja and sacrifices performed facing in the east side.
• Kabla gifted the ‘Moinari kanthi misawa’ to the people of Makro and asked them to performed ‘Kabla Phuja’ at the interval of every five year. ‘Moinari kanthi misawa’ is a beautiful and typical dance amongst the dances of tiwa’s.
• In general participations of girls in the dances are very rare, but in the dance of ‘Moinari kanthi misawa’ participation of girls is must.
• In place of Khram (drum), Pangsi (flute), Thurang (long flute having only two hole) the Makro people used Muhuri (wooden trumpet/ like kaliya in assamese), Tumding (small drum made of soil) and togor (like tabola small drum wear in waist, beat with two small sticks).

Yangli Phuja:

• Yangli is one of the important festivals of the Tiwas as it is related with agriculture which is the mainstay of their economy. During the event, the Tiwas worship for a bountiful harvest and to protect their crops from pest and other natural calamities.
• Tiwa is one of the major tribes of Assam, which celebrates this festival once in every three years.

Langkhon Phuja:

• It is devided into two parts. One is observed in Kati (October-November) and the other is observed in Fagun.

In the festivals Tiwa communities sing two types of songs. These are --->

1) Lo Ho La Hai – songs of the ceremony of name giving, wedding and harvesting etc.
2) Lali Hilali Lai – song of marriage ceremony, Karam and such other festivals.