Nyokum Yullo festival is celebrated by the Nyishis from Arunachal Pradesh. At present Nyokum Yullo festival is celebrated in the month of February after a good harvest, when food is in abundance and weather is pleasant. Also being the New Year celebration of the Nyishis, the main festival days start from 24th of February till the 28th of February.
The festival venues become a socio cultural hub for the tribe during this time but the main objective of Nyokum Yullo is to worship the goddess, Nyokum Anne collectively. A head priest known as ‘Nyokum Yullo Nyibu’ is chosen, who conducts the worship during the festival . Hymns are chanted by the priest evoking the Spirits. Nyibus or shamans are generally zeroed in after reading the omens from the entrails of a sacrificed chicken. Rarely, women priests get to lead the festival rituals as there are very few females who have the knowledge and the age old practice of magic and prayer . Nyokum Yollo festival 2018 celebration in Seppa, witnessed a rare occurrence of having a female shaman to lead the festival rituals thus making it so special.
