Sümi Calendar and Tuluni Week

The naming of months by Sümi ancestors:

In the olden times the Sümi months were named according to agricultural cycles. In ancient Sümi tradition all crops were sown only during the time when the moon is waxing, if seeds were sown on waning moon they believed it would be a poor harvest. 

Aqhi = moon

Aqhi (qhi) = Month

Old counting system of months and days

Months

Month                      Name

  1                          Liphi qhi 

  2                          Luu qhi

  3                          Süphu qhi

  4                          Lusa qhi

  5                         Ghixu qhi

  6                         Sühi qhi

  7                         Moza qhi

  8                         Amuha qhi

  9                         Anih qhi

  10                       Ado qhi

  11                       Saghi qhi

  12                       Tixi qhi

  13                       Amtha qhi

  14                       Ghile qhi

  15                       Thipu qhi

  16                      Ahuna qhi

Week (the old Sümi had a seven-day week and the seventh day had a religious significance even before the influence of Christianity and the adoption of the western calendar. Ancient cultures such as the Babylonian civilization also placed religious significance on the seventh day) 

Day                         Name

1                          Asüzani

2                          Aghizani

3                          Ashigheni

4                          Anighini

5                          Mucholani

6                         Tupulani

7                         Tüghakhani/Tüghalakhani

Modern Calendar (after following the Gregorian Calendar, four ancient Sümi months have died :-) )

Months

January – Luu qhi

February – Süphu 

March – Lusa qhi

April - Ghixu qhi

May  - Moza qhi

June – Amha qhi

July – Ani qhi

August – Saghi qhi 

September – Amtha qhi

October – Ghile qhi

Novermber – Thipu/Ahuna qhi

December – Liphi qhi

Days

Asüzani – Monday

Aghizani - Tuesday

Ashigheni - Wednesday

Anighini - Thursday

Mucholani - Friday

Tupulani - Saturday

Tüghakhani - Sunday

TULUNI

Tuluni is one of the most important festivals of the Sümi since very very very old times (i just saw a map of the early humans migratory route from Africa's Garden of Eden and it looked like some of the earliest humans have walked across this part of the globe so... :o))

Tuluni is a festival about celebrating prosperity, new crops, friendship, kulakishi (mediation and peace), a time to invite prospective sons-in-law for a feast, to offer gifts to the servants, babysitters and the poor, and overall to have a good break far away from the hard work in the fields to enjoy eating, drinking and making merry. 

The elders say that Tuluni was celebrated area-wise in different weeks according to climatic conditions (as harvesting of new crops varied from warm to cold climates) although it was observed in the month of Aniqhi by all villages and aloji (farmer groups). Tuluni was a week-long celebration before 1966. The Sümi Tribal Council in 1966 decided to fix one day -- the 8th of July (Aniqhi)-- to incorporate the day as 'Restricted Holiday' under the Nagaland State of India calendar of holidays. The main day of Tuluni also called 'Ani' was actually always celebrated on 'Ani'ghini (Thursday) but this is not possible now.

There are different theories about how Tuluni originated and at present we do not know which is the correct one.

The days of the week in the Sümi Calendar are named according the rituals performed on each day of the Tuluni Week. (Source: Hekhevi Achumi, 2005, Sütsah Kuthoh)

1st Day - Asüzani             Asü/Za/Ni   Asü - Italian Millet. Asü is the first crop to be sown in the field and the first to bloom and therefore the first day is named after this crop. On this day of the Tuluni Week no one in the village was allowed to go to the fields or sharpen their spears and knives -- a religious significance to protect and not hurt/cut the asü plants. It was a day for village-cleaning. A drink made from Asü was prepared on this day.

2nd Day - Aghizani          Aghi/Za/Ni    Aghi = paddy.  Paddy is the most important crop for the Sümi and it is the second crop to be sown therefore the second day is named after this crop. All agricultural implements - hango tafuchi (a type of spade), aküwa (weeding device) and aküphu (big spade) etc were transferred to a dry place away from rain and moisture, this ritual signified protection for asü and aghi plants to grow well and not rot.

Those in the village who had completed all religious rituals could drink wine made of Aghi on this day. 

3rd Day - Ashigheni         Ashi = Meat, Ghe= to cut/chop meat.  This was considered a very important day when each aloji would kill the animals (usually pig) they've bought for this day and distribute meat to their kith and kin. It was a day to repay all meat-debts too. Meat had to be cooked by everyone on this day for crops to be healthy.

4th Day - Anighini          Ani = to celebrate/bountiful/plenty. This day was the most important day of all. A day of feasting, peace-making, exchanging gifts and for honouring each other and a day for inviting the betrothed to a feast. A special prayer was recited on this day, "Atilimi amalimi angu limi kümtsü ipe lo süghi peniu!"

5th Day - Mucholani     Muchomi = Old man or married man. This day was a day for old men. All muchomi of the village had to clean the surroundings of the village, clean the paths to the fields and clean the granaries. It was also a day for forgiving, letting go of grudges among married men and married women, friends and relatives.

6th Day - Tupulani       Tupumi = Young people/Youth . This day was set aside for young people for feasting. A day to forgive all bitterness and resentment between young men and young women and to cook good food and exchange delicacies. A day for fun and sports too, some of the traditional Sümi games were: high-jump, long-jump, spear-kicking, jumping competition and top spinning. It was also a day for selecting prospective brides and grooms. The sixth day was also a time for feeding the poorest people in the village. 

7th Day - Tüghakhani or Tughalakhani   Tugha = Devil/Evil Spirit, Lakha/kha = to ward off/to block out/to close the door/gate to. The seventh day was observed with great care, it was a day to block out the devil. In some regions travel on this day was banned, no one was allowed to go out of the village gates and fencing, the village gates were shut to shut out the devil. It was a 'kixikila tsala' (evil day) and had to be spent in quietness without loud noises; even pouring water out from the bamboo containers had to be done very quietly so that evil spirits would no hear. People in some areas could go to the fields but had to perform a strict ceremony that signified the overcoming of devil's power. Different rituals were followed in different regions to ward off the devil on this day. Tüghakhani is the last day of the Tuluni Week.