Tricks To Remember Important Festivals For Competitive Exams With 100 Practice MCQs

Table of Contents

6. Torgya

Festival Name: Torgya
State/Region associated: Arunachal Pradesh (Tawang district)
Religion/Community associated: Mahayana Buddhist / Monpa tribe
Month/Season of celebration: January
Type of festival: Religious / Monastic
Significance/Purpose: A monastic festival held to chase away evil spirits, protect people from natural calamities, and ensure peace in the upcoming year.
Important deity/person associated: Tsongkhapa (founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism)
Special ritual or unique feature: Monks perform sacred Cham (masked) dances, and a 3-foot structure made of flour and butter (the Torgya) is worshipped and then burnt as a symbol of destroying evil.
Famous place where celebrated: Tawang Monastery
Recently in news/current affairs: Frequently gains national attention when defense officials and political leaders participate in the monastic rituals to underscore border integration.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Torgya is a 3-day monastic festival held exclusively at the Tawang Monastery by the Monpa tribe to ward off evil spirits through Cham masked dances.
Trick/Hint: ‘Gya’ in ‘Torgya’ sounds like ‘gaya,’ which means ‘gone.’ So remember it like he has gone to another place by walking.

7. Reh

Festival Name: Reh
State/Region associated: Arunachal Pradesh (Dibang Valley and Lower Dibang Valley districts)
Religion/Community associated: Indigenous Animist / Idu Mishmi tribe
Month/Season of celebration: February (Mainly February 1st and 2nd)
Type of festival: Tribal / Religious / Cultural
Significance/Purpose: Celebrated to seek blessings for peace, harmony, and good health while expressing collective gratitude to the creators of the universe.
Important deity/person associated: Divine Mother Nanyi-Inyitaya and the creator spirit Maselo-Zinu
Special ritual or unique feature: The festival begins with elaborate ceremonial chants and dances led by the traditional Shaman priest, known locally as the Igu. It is also a massive showcase of vibrant, intricate handwoven Idu Mishmi textiles.
Famous place where celebrated: Roing and Anini towns
Recently in news/current affairs: Promoted heavily under state eco-tourism initiatives to establish the pristine Anini and Dibang Valley circuit as prime cultural tourism destinations.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: The Reh festival is uniquely celebrated by the Idu Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh to honor the protective deity Nanyi-Inyitaya under the spiritual leadership of the Igu (priest).
Trick/Hint: So remember it like this: you are walking away, and someone from behind calls you, ‘Reeh, stop!’

8. Si Donyi (Si Donyi Hilo)

Festival Name: Si Donyi (also celebrated as Si Donyi Hilo)
State/Region associated: Arunachal Pradesh (Upper Subansiri district)
Religion/Community associated: Indigenous Animist (Donyi-Poloism) / Tagin tribe
Month/Season of celebration: January (Mainly January 4th to 7th)
Type of festival: Tribal / Religious / Cultural (Tagin New Year)
Significance/Purpose: Celebrated as the Tagin New Year to worship the dual forces of nature for community well-being, crop protection, and the prevention of natural disasters.
Important deity/person associated: Atu Sii (The Earth God) and Ayu Donyi (The Sun Goddess)
Special ritual or unique feature: Revelers construct a sacred wooden/bamboo platform called Sehtu, perform the unique Takar Gvnv (celestial star dance), and smear Ette (a white paste made of rice flour and rice beer) on each other’s faces. It culminates in a ritual Mithun sacrifice.
Famous place where celebrated: Daporijo and Dumporijo towns
Recently in news/current affairs: Featured in regional and national 2026 civil services current affairs materials due to its institutional history and debates around the linguistic integration of the word Hilo (signifying the spiritual power of chanting) into its official title.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Si Donyi is the ancestral New Year festival of the Tagin tribe where the Earth (Si, male spirit) and the Sun (Donyi, female spirit) are venerated together.
Trick/Hint: Remember ‘si’ as ‘see.’ So remember it like: see, he is walking away.

Assam

Main Trick/Hint: Now, the word for Assam is ‘air’ and ‘Samantha,’ the actress, because ‘A’ in Assam sounds like ‘air,’ and ‘sam’ in Assam sounds like ‘Samantha’.

1. Bohag Bihu (Rongali Bihu)

Festival Name: Bohag Bihu (also known as Rongali Bihu)
State/Region associated: Assam (Statewide)
Religion/Community associated: Assamese community (Secularly celebrated across all ethnic groups)
Month/Season of celebration: April (Mid-April, marks the onset of spring)
Type of festival: Harvest / Cultural / New Year
Significance/Purpose: Celebrates the Assamese New Year and the arrival of the spring season; it signifies the time to prepare fields and sow seeds.
Important deity/person associated: Nature and Cattle (Goru)
Special ritual or unique feature: It is a 7-day festival that begins with Goru Bihu (dedication to cattle where they are bathed with turmeric and raw pulses). People perform the energetic Bihu dance using traditional instruments like the Dhol, Pepa (buffalo horn flute), and Gogona.
Famous place where celebrated: Statewide (The Latasil field in Guwahati hosts historically iconic celebrations)
Recently in news/current affairs: Frequently in the news for mega-cultural events and initiatives by the state government to achieve global milestones for the largest indigenous group dance formations.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Bohag Bihu marks the official commencement of the Assamese solar New Year, starting with a unique ritual day (Goru Bihu) focused entirely on livestock welfare.
Trick/Hint: ‘Gali’ in ‘Rangali’ means ‘air’ in Telugu, so remember it like this.

2. Bhogali Bihu (Magh Bihu)

Festival Name: Bhogali Bihu (also known as Magh Bihu)
State/Region associated: Assam (Statewide)
Religion/Community associated: Assamese community
Month/Season of celebration: January (Mid-January, coincides with Makar Sankranti)
Type of festival: Harvest
Significance/Purpose: Celebrates the conclusion of the harvesting season; focused on community feasting, food abundance, and offering gratitude to nature.
Important deity/person associated: Agni (Fire God)
Special ritual or unique feature: It begins with Uruka (the night of community feasting). Revelers build temporary thatch and bamboo structures called Bhelaghar and Meji. On the main morning, the Meji is set on fire as a sacred offering to the Fire God while praying for prosperity.
Famous place where celebrated: Rural sectors across the Brahmaputra Valley
Recently in news/current affairs: Legally in focus following state-level directives that regulated and re-permitted traditional community buffalo fights and Bulbul (bird) fights at historical temples under strict animal welfare guidelines.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: The core ritual of Bhogali Bihu involves the burning of a towering bonfire structure called Meji to mark the end of the winter harvest.
Trick/Hint: ‘Gali’ in ‘Bhogali’ means ‘air’ in Telugu, so remember it like this.

3. Ambubachi Mela

Festival Name: Ambubachi Mela
State/Region associated: Lower Assam (Guwahati)
Religion/Community associated: Hindu (Shakta Sect and Tantric practitioners)
Month/Season of celebration: June (Monsoon season)
Type of festival: Religious / Cultural
Significance/Purpose: Celebrates the annual menstruation cycle of the presiding goddess Kamakhya, symbolizing the fertility of Mother Earth during the peak monsoon.
Important deity/person associated: Goddess Kamakhya (Maa Kamakhya)
Special ritual or unique feature: The temple doors remain strictly closed for three consecutive days as the goddess is believed to be resting. No religious scriptures are read, and farming is paused. On the fourth day, doors reopen, and millions receive Rakta Bastra (sacred red cloth dipped in fluids) as a blessing.
Famous place where celebrated: Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills, Guwahati
Recently in news/current affairs: Heavily highlighted due to the ongoing execution of the high-profile ‘Maa Kamakhya Corridor Project’ aimed at upgrading world-class pilgrim infrastructure on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Widely designated as the “Mahakumbh of the East,” the Ambubachi Mela is India’s foremost festival celebrating the concepts of feminine energy and terrestrial fertility.
Trick/Hint: ‘Bachi’ in ‘Ambubachi’ sounds like ‘Buchi.’ Buchi is a director in the Telugu film industry, and Samantha and Buchi worked together in the film ‘Rangasthalam.’ He is an assistant director, and she is an actress, so remember it like this.

4. Jonbeel Mela

Festival Name: Jonbeel Mela
State/Region associated: Central Assam (Morigaon district)
Religion/Community associated: Multi-ethnic Tribal Communities (Tiwa, Karbi, Khasi, Jaintia)
Month/Season of celebration: January (Winter weekend following Bhogali Bihu)
Type of festival: Cultural / Tribal / Trade Fair
Significance/Purpose: Organized to foster inter-community harmony, brotherhood, and raw commerce between the hill tribes and the plains communities of Assam.
Important deity/person associated: The titular King of the Tiwa community (Gova Raja)
Special ritual or unique feature: It is the only historic fair remaining in India where the ancient barter system is fully active. Hill tribes exchange raw agricultural crops, spices, and ginger for hand-woven textiles, rice, and dried fish from the plains. The fair concludes with the Gova Raja collecting symbolic taxes from his subjects.
Famous place where celebrated: Dayang Belguri at Jagiroad (adjacent to the crescent moon-shaped Jonbeel lake), Morigaon
Recently in news/current affairs: Frequently showcased by cultural departments as an absolute living monument of economic history, surviving well into the digital currency era.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Jonbeel Mela stands unique in the Indian subcontinent as the last functional cultural festival driven exclusively by the barter system of trade.
Trick/Hint: Remember it like this: in ‘Samantha,’ ‘mantha’ sounds like ‘mouth,’ and ‘beel’ sounds like ‘bill’ in ‘Jonbeel.’ So remember it like this: this month, the bill is high.

5. Me-Dam-Me-Phi

Festival Name: Me-Dam-Me-Phi
State/Region associated: Upper Assam (Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Dibrugarh districts)
Religion/Community associated: Tai-Ahom community
Month/Season of celebration: January (Celebrated annually on the fixed date of January 31st)
Type of festival: Cultural / Religious / Ancestral
Significance/Purpose: Derived from Tai languages (“Me” means offerings, “Dam” means ancestors, and “Phi” means gods). It is a sacred prayer assembly held to manifest deep respect for deceased ancestors and seek communal peace.
Important deity/person associated: Ancestral spirits and Ahom deities like Lengdon (King of Heaven)
Special ritual or unique feature: The raising of a public decorative pillar (Me-Dam Pillar) around which priests chant historical Tai-Ahom prayers, offering homemade rice beer, fish dishes, and traditional food packages to spirits.
Famous place where celebrated: Charaideo Maidan (The historic necropolis of the Ahom monarchs)
Recently in news/current affairs: Garnered global academic interest following the high-profile inscription of the adjacent “Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty” as a prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site, firmly tying this ancestor-worship ritual to world heritage records.
UNESCO recognition: Yes (The associated cultural landscape of Charaideo Moidams is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
One-line exam fact: Me-Dam-Me-Phi is the ancestral soul-worship festival of the Ahom community, intrinsically linked to the monumental structural heritage of the Charaideo burial mounds.
Trick/Hint: ‘Me-Dam’ sounds like ‘madam.’ So remember it like you are calling Samantha ‘madam.’

6. Ali-Aye-Ligang

Festival Name: Ali-Aye-Ligang
State/Region associated: Upper Assam and Riverine tracts (Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, and Majuli)
Religion/Community associated: Mising (Miri) tribe
Month/Season of celebration: February (Begins on the first Wednesday of the Assamese month of Fagun)
Type of festival: Tribal / Harvest / Agricultural (Sowing)
Significance/Purpose: The name breaks down to “Ali” (root/seed), “Aye” (fruit), and “Ligang” (sowing). It officially marks the start of the crucial Ahu paddy seed-sowing season.
Important deity/person associated: Mother Earth and Ancestral agricultural spirits
Special ritual or unique feature: The formal sowing of paddy fields by village heads, followed immediately by the Gumrag dance. Dancers execute sharp, rhythmic footwork and hip movements to the loud, fast beat of drums. Traditional feasts feature Purang (boiled rice cooked inside special leaves) and Apong (indigenous rice beer).
Famous place where celebrated: Majuli (The world’s largest populated river island)
Recently in news/current affairs: Aggressively integrated into the rural ethno-tourism itineraries of Upper Assam to introduce global travelers to the unique river-dwelling lifestyle of the Mising tribe.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Ali-Aye-Ligang is the signature spring seed-sowing festival of the Mising tribe, characterized by the traditional Gumrag dance performance.
Trick/Hint: Remember ‘Ali’ as ‘air.’

7. Kongali Bihu (Kati Bihu)

Festival Name: Kongali Bihu (also widely known as Kati Bihu)
State/Region associated: Assam (Statewide)
Religion/Community associated: Assamese community
Month/Season of celebration: October (Mid-October, corresponds to the Assamese month of ‘Kati’)
Type of festival: Harvest / Agricultural (Lean period)
Significance/Purpose: “Kongali” translates to “poor” or “frugal.” It is observed during the lean season when granaries are empty and the newly planted paddy is still growing in the fields. It is a solemn occasion to pray for crop protection, good health, and a successful upcoming harvest.
Important deity/person associated: Goddess Lakshmi and the sacred Tulsi plant
Special ritual or unique feature: Unlike the joyous celebrations of the other two Bihus, this is a quiet, contemplative day. Families light traditional earthen lamps (Saaki) under the household Tulsi plant, in the granaries, and out in the paddy fields. A unique feature is the Akaxbonti (sky lamp)—a lamp placed on a tall bamboo pole in the fields to guide ancestral spirits and naturally trap crop-destroying insects.
Famous place where celebrated: Rural agrarian belts throughout the Brahmaputra Valley
Recently in news/current affairs: Frequently highlighted in agricultural and ecological news for its brilliant blend of cultural tradition and organic pest-control science via the sky-lamp ritual.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Celebrated during the lean agricultural phase, Kongali Bihu involves the elevation of Akaxbonti (sky lamps) in paddy fields to serve as both spiritual guides and natural insect traps.
Trick/Hint: ‘Gali’ in ‘Kongali’ means ‘air’ in Telugu, so remember it like this.

8. Kherai Puja

Festival Name: Kherai Puja
State/Region associated: Western and Central Assam (Bodoland Territorial Region)
Religion/Community associated: Bathouism / Bodo tribe
Month/Season of celebration: November–January (Celebrated post-harvest or during seasonal transitions)
Type of festival: Tribal / Religious
Significance/Purpose: Performed as a collective village cleansing ritual to ward off evil spirits, ensure community health, safeguard crops from diseases, and express gratitude for peace.
Important deity/person associated: Bathow Borai (The Supreme Deity, often associated with Lord Shiva) and Mainao (Goddess of wealth and crops)
Special ritual or unique feature: The entire festival revolves around a central shamanic ritual. A specialized priestess or shaman known as the Deodhani falls into a deep spiritual trance. To the rhythmic beating of traditional instruments like the Kham (drum) and Sifung (flute), she performs the hypnotic, martial-inspired Kherai dance using a sword and a shield before the sacred altar.
Famous place where celebrated: Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, and Udalguri districts
Recently in news/current affairs: In focus under the cultural revival schemes of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which aims to document and digitally preserve ancient shamanic practices like the Deodhani dance forms.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: Kherai Puja is the most grand religious festival of the Bodo tribe, featuring the mystical trance dance performance of the Deodhani priestess.
Trick/Hint: ‘Kherai’ sounds like Kiara, who is an actress like Samantha, so remember it like this.

9. Bathow (Bathow Puja)

Festival Name: Bathow (commonly referred to as Bathow Puja)
State/Region associated: Assam (Assam’s tribal belts, particularly the plains)
Religion/Community associated: Bathouism / Bodo, Kachari, and Mech communities
Month/Season of celebration: Celebrated multiple times a year, with the most prominent public worship occurring in Spring (April–May)
Type of festival: Tribal / Religious / Philosophical
Significance/Purpose: “Ba” means five and “Thow” means deep philosophy. It is the worship of the five supreme elements of nature—land, water, air, fire, and sky—manifested together as one cosmic creator spirit to ensure eternal natural balance.
Important deity/person associated: Bathow Borai (The Eldest Brother/Supreme God)
Special ritual or unique feature: The centerpiece of the worship is a highly symbolic altar featuring the Sijou plant (a species of Euphorbia cactus), which represents the supreme soul. This cactus is carefully enclosed within a double-ringed, circular bamboo fence woven with exactly 18 pairs of bamboo strips, each pair symbolizing a specific spiritual truth or a fundamental moral principle in Bodo philosophy.
Famous place where celebrated: Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and various plains tribes settlements across Assam
Recently in news/current affairs: The Government of Assam officially recognizes Bathow Puja under its restricted/public holiday schedules to support and protect the distinct socio-religious identity of the indigenous plains tribes.
UNESCO recognition: No
One-line exam fact: The central ritual icon of Bathow Puja is the sacred Sijou cactus plant, which is strictly ringed by an 18-segment bamboo fence reflecting ancient tribal philosophy.
Trick/Hint: ‘Bat’ in ‘Bathow.’ In one Samantha movie, the main actor is a batsman in cricket, so remember it like this.