Sangken

The Sangken festival is celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam, India and in Kachin, Sagaing region of Myanmar as the traditional New Year's Day from 14 to 16 April by the Theravada Buddhist Communities.

The essence of festivals lies in bringing people together and spreading the intrinsic values of their cultures and traditions.

Their decency and craftsmanship and their cuisine reveal their love and taste of food, while their sports show their adeptness in the art of games.

On the first day and at an auspicious time, the images of Buddha are taken out of the shrine, given a ceremonial bath and placed in the 'Kyongfra’ to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals.

On the final day of the Sangken festival at the appointed time, the images are taken back to their original places and this marks the end of the old year.

The New Year is welcomed with community prayers and feast during the ‘Poi Sangken’ celebrated after the end of the festival.

This day is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm by all and marked by people going to the monastery to wash and clean up the shrine, idols and sprinkle holy water in the premises and a community feast which follows.

Poi cheng ken is the traditional spring festival of the Tai-Ahom people observed in the Ahom month Duin-Ha of Sexagenary cycle.

[3] This festival involves washing things especially bathing the household cattles, commemorates the ancestors and worshipping the insignia Chum Pha Rueng Sheng Mueang.