What is Block Mela?
In today’s world, people strive for betterment. The standards have increased so much that sky has indeed become a limit. People get so busy for their futuristic goals that they often forget their achievements and neglect their present.
But amidst the race for development, there’s a simplistic ritual of taking a pause to appreciate what has been done and the growth achieved in rural areas of the divine lands of Andaman and Nicobar. Andaman Nicobar is located off the east coast of India in the middle of Bay of Bengal.
It is the glorious group of islands, popular for its exclusive beaches and islands blessed by nature.
Block Mela is celebrated every year in the month of January and February in the Diglipur district to highlight the progress of the rural areas and the people of the islands.
What are the activities at Block Mela?
During the festival, Nicobarese dance is performed by the Nicobarese tribe dwelling on the island of car Nicobar. it remains to be among the only tribes to remain unaffected by the modern ways and technology. They continue to live in isolation thus preserving their cultural ways and traditional heritage.
It is accompanied by an “Ossuary feast or the pig festival” which is dedicated to the departed head of the family. It is observed with the night long dancing by the moonlight under the calming, waving coconut palms. The dancers dress in coconut fronds and move gracefully with the traditional beats. The feast is followed by a pig fight in the morning.
