Std 8 English chapters › Unit 4 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: The lesson describes the colourful festivals of the seven States of North-east India, most of them linked to agriculture and always full of music and dance.
(ईशान्य भारतातील सात राज्यांचे रंगीबेरंगी सण, जे बहुतेक शेतीशी जोडलेले असून नेहमी संगीत आणि नृत्याने भरलेले असतात, यांचे वर्णन हा पाठ करतो.)
- Type: Prose (informative)
- About: the festivals of the seven North-eastern States
- Unit: 4
Summary in English
North-east India has seven States with many cultures and tribes. Most festivals are linked to agriculture, and no celebration is complete without traditional music and dance. Bihu, the chief festival of Assam, is celebrated three times a year to mark stages of farming. The Bihu dance has quick steps, with music from the dhol, the pepa (made from a buffalo horn), cymbals and a bamboo clapper.
In Arunachal Pradesh, Losar is the new year festival, when people clean their homes to welcome the new year. In Manipur, Ningol Chakouba strengthens the bond between married daughters and their parents, and during Cheiraoba, the new year festival, villagers climb hilltops to rise higher in life. Mizoram celebrates Chapchar Kut, the spring festival, with folk dances.
Wangala, the hundred-drum festival of the Garos of Meghalaya, marks the end of the harvest. In Tripura, the dances show hunting, fishing and food-gathering. In Nagaland, Moastu is celebrated after sowing, with colourful clothes and headgear of feathers. These festivals thank the gods, ask for protection and bring out the talent of the people.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
ईशान्य भारतात अनेक संस्कृती आणि जमाती असलेली सात राज्ये आहेत. बहुतेक सण शेतीशी जोडलेले आहेत आणि पारंपरिक संगीत-नृत्याशिवाय कोणताही उत्सव पूर्ण होत नाही. आसामचा मुख्य सण बिहू वर्षातून तीनदा, शेतीच्या टप्प्यांनुसार साजरा होतो. बिहू नृत्यात जलद पावले असतात आणि ढोल, म्हशीच्या शिंगापासून बनवलेले 'पेपा', झांजा व बांबूचे वाद्य यांचे संगीत असते.
अरुणाचल प्रदेशात 'लोसार' हा नववर्षाचा सण आहे; त्या वेळी लोक घरे स्वच्छ करून नव्या वर्षाचे स्वागत करतात. मणिपूरमध्ये 'निंगोल चाकौबा' विवाहित मुली आणि त्यांचे आई-वडील यांचे नाते दृढ करतो; 'चेइराओबा' या नववर्षाच्या सणात गावकरी आयुष्यात उंची गाठता यावी म्हणून जवळच्या टेकडीवर चढतात. मिझोराममध्ये वसंतोत्सव 'चापचार कुट' लोकनृत्यांनी साजरा होतो.
मेघालयातील गारो लोकांचा 'वांगला', म्हणजे शंभर ढोलांचा सण, सुगीच्या शेवटी साजरा होतो. त्रिपुरातील नृत्ये शिकार, मासेमारी आणि अन्न गोळा करणे दाखवतात. नागालँडमध्ये पेरणीनंतर 'मोआत्सू' साजरा होतो; लोक रंगीत कपडे आणि पिसांनी सजवलेली शिरोभूषणे घालतात. हे सण देवाचे आभार मानतात, संरक्षणाची प्रार्थना करतात आणि लोकांतील कलागुणांना वाव देतात.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
The festivals of North-east India celebrate nature, farming and community, and keep the region's rich cultures alive.
ईशान्य भारतातील सण निसर्ग, शेती आणि समाजजीवनाचा उत्सव साजरा करतात आणि त्या प्रदेशातील समृद्ध संस्कृती जिवंत ठेवतात.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| diverse | विविध | India has a diverse culture. |
| unique | अद्वितीय, एकमेव | Each festival is unique. |
| brisk | जलद, चपळ | We went for a brisk walk. |
| discard | टाकून देणे | Discard the old clothes. |
| sumptuous | भरपूर व चविष्ट, शाही | We enjoyed a sumptuous feast. |
| calamity | आपत्ती | The flood was a great calamity. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Make a table of State – festival – reason – way of celebrating for all seven States. It is a common exam question.
- Language study: adjective and noun forms (diversity-diverse, joy-joyous, tradition-traditional, prosper-prosperity).
4.5 Festivals of North East India: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this lesson, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🎉 Warm-up: Why do we celebrate?
🧩 Match each festival with its reason.
Festival → reason
Q3. Seven sisters, seven festivals
🎯 Tap each state and its festival.
State ↔ festival
Festival → how or why it is celebrated
Q4. Choose the right alternative
👉 Tap one.
(1) Every festival of North-East India is incomplete without ___.
Answer: No celebration is complete without traditional music and dance.
(2) People of ___ are true lovers of nature and its beauty.
Answer: Nature has given them a deep feeling for beauty.
(3) The festival celebrated three times a year for the stages of agriculture is ___.
Answer: Start of harvest, end of sowing, end of harvest.
(4) In Tripura, the festive dances represent ___.
Answer: The dances show daily activities.
(5) An additional advantage of festive celebrations is ___.
Answer: They encourage cultural and artistic activities.
Q1. Fill in the narration
👉 Tap the correct word.
Meeting my classmate after twenty years ___ our friendship.
Answer: revive = bring back to life.
We spoke on ___ topics, of our past, present and future.
Answer: diverse = of many kinds.
We could not ___ old school memories.
Answer: discard = throw away.
She showed me a ring ___ from her great-grandmother.
Answer: Passed from one generation to the next.
We discussed how to ___ the best in our children.
Answer: bring out = develop and show.
We decided to have a ___ dinner at a five-star hotel.
Answer: sumptuous = very grand.
Q2. Correct the spellings
🎯 Tap the wrong spelling and the right one.
Wrong ↔ right
Q5. Word forms
🎯 Tap a word and its adjective form from the lesson.
Noun ↔ adjective
Word ↔ noun form
Language Study: change the sentences
👉 Tap the correct transformation.
The people offer thanks to the Gods. (present continuous)
Answer: are + verb-ing.
Hardly a month passes without a festival or two. (use ‘No’)
Answer: Same meaning, using ‘No’.
The Spring Festival is an important occasion, ___
Answer: Positive statement with ‘is’ → isn’t it?
The Bihu dance is performed by both young men and women. (use ‘as well as’)
Answer: both … and → … as well as …
The Bihu dance is a very joyous one. (exclamatory)
Answer: What a + adjective + noun + subject + verb!
Q6. Reporter’s dialogue
✍️ Write a dialogue with a village headman in Assam, then compare
Reporter: Good morning, Sir! I am a reporter from Maharashtra. Could you tell me about Bihu?
Headman: Good morning! You are most welcome. Bihu is our chief festival.
Reporter: Why is it celebrated three times a year?
Headman: It marks the start of harvest, the end of sowing and the end of harvest.
Reporter: What is special about the Bihu dance?
Headman: Young men and women dance with brisk steps to the dhol, pepa and cymbals.
Reporter: Do people of all communities join in?
Headman: Yes, everyone celebrates together, whatever their religion or tribe.
Reporter: Thank you so much for your time, Sir. Happy Bihu!
Headman: Thank you. Come again next year!
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Describe the main festival of your village or town.
- Why are most festivals of the North-east linked to agriculture?
- Write a dialogue between a news reporter and a village headman about a festival.
Online test · 15 questions
4.5 Festivals of North East India: Lesson Test
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शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
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