Morigaon:
The
much-awaited three-day annual festival of Tiwa community 'Junbeel Mela' (for
over 500-year-old indigenous fair) which is also popularly known as the 'unique
barter fair' will be held on January 21 next year and it will continue till
January 23.
The Tiwa Community fair will be held at the historical
place known as Junbeel pather, three km away from Jagiroad in Morigaon district
and 32 km from Guwahati, Assam.
The three-day annual festival has been held since the
early 17th century, organized by the Tiwa tribe in Assam and Meghalaya.
This festival of northeast is the only event on the
globe, where the barter system is still, is practiced.
The celebration of the mela starts with community fishing cockfights, dance, and music. The King of Gobha and his courtiers visit the mela and collect taxes from his subjects.
The festival draws a significant number of people from
Tiwa, Khasi, Karbi, Rabha, and Jaintia communities who live in the border
villages of Meghalaya and Assam. They organized a huge bazaar during the
occasion. They set up stalls/shops with a lot of fresh produce and local
poultry including some vegetables that are barely sold commercially. They
interchange their merchandise with the native indigenous Assamese people in a
barter system.
The Morigaon district administration on Friday
(December) hold a meeting at the DC's conference hall, Morigaon with the
organizing committee of Junbeel Mela regarding the preparations of the festival.
However, this year the three-day-long festival will be
organized abiding by all Covid 19 protocol. Therefore, the district
administration instructed the organizing committee to strictly follow Covid
protocol and not to hold any cultural, programmes and exhibitions during the
festival and to organize the programme with 50 percent people.
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