Tiwa Langkhon festival to join Assam government calendar from 2027

The Tiwa community's traditional Langkhon festival will be added to the Assam government's official calendar from next year, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday.

Sarma made the announcement while attending the festival at Ulukunchi in Amri, The Assam Tribune reported. He said the state would also give financial assistance towards organising the festival from its next edition.

'Not merely a community festival'

It was the Chief Minister's first visit to Langkhon. He said the festival was not just a community celebration but reflected the culture, traditions and way of life of the Tiwa people, and that every community's customs added to Assam's cultural heritage.

Sarma said preserving and celebrating such festivals was a shared responsibility. "From next year, when the Tiwa community celebrates the festival, we will include it in the Assam government calendar," he said, adding that financial help would be extended for its organisation.

The government did not announce the amount of assistance or say whether the listing would come with a holiday. Those details are expected when the 2027 calendar is notified.

Who the Tiwas are

The Tiwas, also known as Lalung, are one of Assam's indigenous Tibeto-Burman communities. They live mainly in Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup and the Karbi Anglong hills, and the community has its own Tiwa Autonomous Council for areas in the plains.

Tiwas in the hills, including around Amri, keep several traditional festivals tied to the farming cycle and clan customs. Langkhon is among the community's best-known celebrations and draws villagers, elders and cultural groups to the host village.

Why calendar recognition matters

Inclusion in the state calendar gives a festival official recognition alongside the larger celebrations of the state, and the promised funding is meant to help the community keep holding it on the scale it deserves.

Details of how the support for Langkhon will be routed, and which department will handle it, have not yet been made public. NEInsider will update this story when the government notifies the 2027 calendar.