The Mog community in Tripura traditionally observed their New Year and held the colourful Sangrai Festival. The two-day 6th state-level traditional Sangrai festival of the Mog community began at Vaishnubpur ADC Village under the South district with splendor and joviality on Saturday (April 15).
Minister for Cooperatives Department of Tripura, Shukla Charan Noatia inaugurated the Sangrai Festival in presence of MLA Mylaphru Mog, General Secretary of Mog Socio-Cultural Organization Doang Mog, Buddhist monk Agachara Vante and officials of various departments of the Government of Tripura.
Inaugurating the festival, Noatia referred to the State Government’s initiatives for the development of Mog culture saying that a big conference of the Mog Community will be held in Agartala to discuss steps for the preservation and promote the rich cultural traditions, customs and heritage of the Mog community in Tripura. The Minister also made a clarion call and urged people of the Mog community to join in the blood donation activities and anti-drug initiative.
“I urge the community leaders and youths to take part in voluntary blood donation in more numbers. Also, it is important that people of the community actively participate in programmes to end the drug menace”, Noatia commented.
Even as, it is a celebration of the rich cultural heritage and customs of the Mog Community, the Sangrai Festival has become a joyful event for Bengalis and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
It is primarily a sports festival that includes a range of interesting activities. One of the most popular sports is Jol Khela, where young men and women splash water on each other. However, players who use excessive force or hit someone’s eyes with water are disqualified. Other games like D’Khela and Khaiyam Khela involve boys standing on 10-foot-tall bamboo sticks and attempting to balance them.
Apart from sports activities, the Sangrai Festival features a cooking competition called Fashong. The competition involves using various types of vegetables to prepare a dish. The dish with the best taste is declared the winner.
Another major attraction is beauty contests called ‘Miss Sangrai’ and ‘Mister Sangrai.’ Young men and women participate in a fashion show to determine the most beautiful and handsome individuals.
