12/06/2026
A short documentary of the Kro Chekor Festival, Shergaon 🎥
Kro-Chekor (also called Kro Cheykor) is the Sherdukpen community’s major annual festival, celebrated in Shergaon village (West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh) each May–June. It is a month‐long ritual of prayer and renewal, climaxing on a daylong procession and series of rites. Preparations begin weeks in advance with village-wide recitations of Buddhist scriptures, communal brewing of phak (millet wine), and strict taboos on hunting.
On the festival day, monks and youth lead a procession carrying a sacred text through fields, stopping at clan shrines (chodham) for blessings. Young men (Makpepu) in warrior dress perform ritual “war dances” alongside masked dancers (Zam, Kengpu, Tang-tang-mu, etc.), re-enacting ancient myths of defeating evil. Women and girls play key roles: as Blang-pu Jomji they carry scriptures and later serve feasts, and as hosts they generously feed all participants (indeed, “no one stays hungry” during Chekor). The day concludes with a playful community water fight and night-time songs (Nurjang, LhoJambe) to appease deities. Throughout, the festival symbolizes unity, the fusion of Tibetan Buddhism with animist traditions, and the community’s hopes for a bountiful harvest.
We are extremely grateful to the Ok! Northeast Team (Jim Deka, Tse Ring La & Nwang) for showing us around and giving us an Insider's Access to the festival...
Documentary & Photos by Indrani & Soumya
Music : Jim Ankan Deka, Leki Phunchu, Tse Ring La
@ All Copyrights Reserved
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