ITANAGAR, Dec 7: The Tagin community of Arunachal Pradesh is all set to celebrate the 52nd edition of the Si-Donyi Hilo festival in 2026 with traditional fervour and gaiety at various locations, including Daporijo, Dumporijo, Talia, Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) and Aalo.
Daporijo, the district headquarters of Upper Subansiri, will continue to remain the central venue for the Si-Donyi Hilo celebration, in keeping with the long-standing tradition of the community. The festival, which has been celebrated since 1975, is regarded as one of the most significant spiritual and cultural occasions for the Tagin people.
In the Tagin belief system, “Si” means Earth and “Donyi” means the Sun, both regarded as the supreme powers and authorities of the universe. “Hilo” denotes the highest spiritual power performed by the priest. The Si-Donyi Hilo festival is a sacred occasion during which the Tagin community showcases its rich cultural heritage, reconnecting the people to their roots, faith and beliefs, and reaffirming the commitment to protect, preserve and promote the customs and traditions of their ancestors, the Abo Tani.
In keeping with tradition followed since 1975, the chairmen, secretaries, former office bearers and senior citizens of the community nominated priests from the Tagin belt to perform the traditional egg and chicken liver examination (Nyubu Lwu) for the selection of the head priests for the 2026 celebration.
Accordingly, the following head priests have been selected for Si-Donyi Hilo 2026 after a series of traditional examinations and tests: For Daporijo (Central Si-Donyi Hilo 2026): Riabu Bate, former head priest of Central Si-Donyi Hilo Celebration Committee (2012); for Dumporijo (Si-Donyi Hilo 2026): Yecho Dugi, former twice head priest of the Central Si-Donyi Hilo Celebration Committee, Daporijo; and for Itanagar Capital Region (Si-Donyi Hilo 2026): Sachok Digli Tamin, former head priest of ICR Si-Donyi Hilo (2010) and Central Si-Donyi Hilo, Daporijo (2019).
The selected head priests, along with their respective Punung teams, will arrive at their celebration venues on January 4, 2026 to begin preparations for the sacred rituals, a statement from Dosh Dasi Tamin, former chairman of Central Si-Donyi Hilo Celebration Committee, Daporijo (2022), said.