Festivals form an essential aspect of the socio-cultural life of the people of North East India, particularly the state of Arunachal Pradesh.  As a matter of fact, festivals are the mirrors of the people’s culture in this beautiful state. Every tribe of Arunachal Pradesh celebrates a number of festivals - agricultural, religious and socio-cultural, which gives them ample opportunity to enjoy freely.  These are the occasions for people to relax, to enjoy, to dance, and to eat and drink.  Agriculture being the basic means of livelihood, the festivals having a connection with it are celebrated in a bigger scale, either to thank God for providence or pray for a bumper harvest.  While the priest performs the ritual part of each festival, the people in a community basis do other arrangements of the festivals. Throughout the twelve months of the year, one or the other tribe celebrates festivals.  Not a single month passes off without a festival. Solung is one such socio-religious festival of the ‘Adi’ community of the state, which is celebrated during the month of August/September. However, Solung is celebrated on different days of these months, depending upon different villages. But usually, the Kebang or the village council, depending upon the convenience of the village people, fixes the date. Sometimes, even the Gam (headman) can also fix the date of this festival with the consent of other leaders of the village. Once the date of the festival is fixed, the villagers start preparing the ‘rice-beer’ or Apong. Plenty of fresh vegetables are also stored for the occasion.

There are various stories about the origin of this festival, but the most commonly accepted one is that the Adis were asked by Kine-nane, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, to perform the Solung Puja. Finding human beings starving for want of food, she sent paddy seeds through a dog. Since then, men have been producing paddy in plenty to meet their requirement of food. Kine-nane asked the men who were helped by her to offer Puja in the name of Solung, which they were only too willing to do. Kine-nane also helped them to acquire mithun, and pig, the two animals which are sacrificed at the time of Solung.

In the Solung, they try to propitiate both Doying-Bote (god of heaven) and Kine-nane and if they are pleased and satisfied, the former will appear in the form of clouds and rains and the latter will appear in the form of great fertility of the soil. They land together on the surface of the earth where, ultimately, their union takes place. It is believed that their successful union will lead to high yields of crops, more animals like mithun, pigs etc and ultimately wealth and prosperity for men. 

There are three main parts in the celebration of this festival. They are: Sopi-Yekpi ( also called Limir-Libom), the first part and the  sacrificial day; Binnyat, the second part, the ritual offering to the goddess of crops, Kine Nane, and Ekop (also called Taktor), the ritual made for protection against harm by evil spirits by appeasing Gumin-Soyin, the household guardian, and Doying Bote, god of wisdom and human welfare.

Ardo-Bado is the sacrificial and inaugural day in the Solung celebration. According to the Sopi-Yekpi Aabang (the lyrical rhapsody of Adi myth and belief of creation), the mithun or Eso was the first animal to appear in the world which Dadi Bote, god of domestic animals, nurtured and gifted to human beings.

Mithun, a valuable possession of the people, symbolizes prosperity of both individuals and the society. It is also considered a holy animal by the people and, therefore, occupies an important religious significance. They pray to Dadi Bote for his kindness to them and appease him for bestowing good fortune to them and also for the safety of all domestic animals.

Binnyat, the second part of Solung, is the ritual offering made by women-folk to the goddess of crops, Kine Nane in the fields for protection of crops against epidemics and bestowing of a bumper harvest. Aabangs describe how Kine Nane gifted crop seeds to humans in the beginning and gave them the knowledge of performance of festivals. On this occasion, people acknowledge their gratefulness to Kine Nane and solicit her for boons of family welfare and prosperity. Binnyat, therefore, highlights peoples’ age-old attachment with cultivation and their aspirations for economic self-reliance.

Ekop or Taktor is the last phase of celebration during which the Miri, the singer leader, narrates the story of Nibo or Abotani, who was the forefather of the Tanis. The story describes Nibo’s early struggle for existence and his endeavour to overcome the forces of evil, symbolised by Robo, his elder brother; the moral and spiritual guidance of Doying Bote, the god of wisdom and human welfare and Gumin-Soyin, the guardian spirit, and finally, Nibo’s establishment of family and social life in the beginning of life.

People offer rituals for protection against possible harm by evil spirits and pray to Doying Bote and Gumin-Soyin for bestowing peace and welfare and good fortune during this day.

As such, the festivities continue for seven days and the main highlights of the festival are the performance of religious Ponung dance, performed by girls in the evenings, led by the Miri, the singer of Aabangs, who narrates the epic myth through his songs. This particular dance is organised and performed in a place called Yingkiong. People perform various rituals and make offerings to gods and goddesses during the celebration. They also present gifts of meat and Apong (rice beer) to neighbours and relatives, thus cementing family and social relationships. Another feature of this festival is care and protection of animals, which are vital components of their family and social life. Merry-making and feasting also form a part of this celebration.

In brief, Solung is a reflection of the community’s enduring cultural, socio-economic and spiritual values and aspirations, which have a universal relevance even in this modern age.

Dharmaraj Joshi