Sekrenyi

Sekrenyi festival
Dance and singing at an Angami Naga festival
Official name	Sekrenyi
Also called	Phousanyi
Observed by	Angami Naga people
Significance	New Year
Celebrations	Ten days
Date	25 February
Frequency	Annual

The Sekrenyi festival, known locally as Phousanyi, is a major annual festival of the Angami Nagas, among the many festivals held by them, in the northeast Indian state of Nagaland. It is observed for ten days from the 25th day of the Angami calendar month of "Kezei" (usually corresponding to 25 February in the Gregorian calendar) under the auspices of the Angami Public Organisation in association with many other organizations and the state government. It is a "purification festival" held to wash off all past sins. The objective of the festival is to renew and "make holy" by cleansing the "body and the soul" of the village as a whole, and to bring forth unity among all communities of Nagaland. It also marks initiation of young people to adulthood and is considered an "identity marker of the Angami". The Christian converts among the tribals have gradually rejected these rituals.

Sekrenyi is a compound word formed by 'sekre' meaning "sanctification" and 'thenyi' meaning "festival." The festival calendar is linked to the agricultural cycle, which varies from village to village. Thus, the celebration is held between the months of December–March, and the duration also varies from ten to fifteen days.

The festival is generally held starting from 25 February as per the Gregorian calendar. It is celebrated by both the Kruna Angami and Christian Angami. The duration is reduced to five days for the Christian villagers who had earlier converted to Christianity but belonged to the same tribe; they participate in the festivities but they do not follow any of the rituals connected with it.

A number of rituals and ceremonies are involved with the festival. On the first day, which is known as 'Kezie", people sprinkle themselves with a few drops of rice water drawn from a pot named "Zumho". The water drops are first gathered into leaves, and the chief lady of the house reverently fixes the leaves at the three main corner pillars of the house. This is followed by the men assembling at the well to bathe.

On the second day, young men of the village assemble in the village to perform ablutions. They adorn themselves with two new shawls, and then ritualistically sprinkle the holy water on their chests, knees and right arms as a mark of washing away all their sins and ill luck. When they come back from the well, a sacrificial offer of a cock is performed.