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Dree, the Apatani farming festival of the Ziro valley
Green paddies in the monsoon rain and a valley praying for its harvest
Dree is the farming festival of the Apatani people of the Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh. It is held every year on 5 July (next: 5 July 2027), before the rice ripens, and asks the gods to spare the fields and homes from pests, disease and famine. Villages hold their own rites; the valley comes together on a common ground.
The date is fixed and appears in the Arunachal Pradesh holiday list, issued in August or September of the previous year; the Ziro programme is announced locally.
The legend
Dree is the Apatani farming festival of the Ziro valley: in July, before the rice ripens, the gods are asked to spare fields and homes from pests and disease.
The rites go in order: Tamu against pests, Metii against sickness, Meder to cleanse the fields, Mepin for healthy crops.
In 1967 Apatani students led by Lod Kojee first held Dree on a common ground. Since then the whole valley has celebrated together on 5 July.
Customs
Dree flag and anthem
Each village holds its own rite the day before; on 5 July the Dree flag is raised on the common ground and the festival anthem is sung.
Daminda
Women dance the daminda folk dance, and young men compete in the high jump and traditional wrestling.
What people eat
Dree taku
Cucumber, served to everyone present before the community feast.
What Dree asks for
The Apatani farm the Ziro valley with wet rice and fish raised together in the same fields, a system unusual enough to be the reason many people visit the valley at all. Dree is that system’s festival. Its rites go in a fixed order, each addressed to a deity: Tamu against insects and pests, Metii against epidemics and human illness, Meder to purify the fields, Mepin for healthy crops and people. A fifth, Danyi, for the fertility of the soil, fish in the paddies and healthy cattle, was added in 1967, when a mithun was sacrificed for it.
The central celebration is younger than the rites. In 1967 senior Apatani students led by Lod Kojee proposed one festival for the whole valley, collected donations in kind (mithun, goats, fowl, eggs, rice), and held Dree on a common ground for the first time. Since then the valley has celebrated together on 5 July, and Apatanis who live elsewhere keep the day as well.
How the day goes
The festival is one day on the calendar, 5 July 2027, with the village rites the evening before. The Ziro programme is announced locally each year.
- The evening before: village rites
Each village holds its own rite. These belong to the community, not to visitors.
- Morning: flag and anthem
The Dree flag is raised on the common ground and the festival anthem is sung.
- Cucumber and rice beer
Everyone present is served dree taku, cucumber, and dree o, rice or millet beer, before the community feast.
- Dances and games
Women dance the daminda folk dance; young men compete in the high jump and traditional wrestling; elders hold their own contests, and there are modern dance and sports events too.
You need a permit for Arunachal Pradesh
Ziro is in Arunachal Pradesh, where visitors need a permit on top of any visa. Indian citizens travel on an Inner Line Permit (ILP); foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit (PAP). The state government’s portal, eilp.arunachal.gov.in, takes applications for the tourist eILP and the ePAP. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) notes that permit rules can change at any time and says to apply for permits three months before arrival. Visa basics: India visa guide.
Visiting on Dree
Dree is the community’s own occasion in the valley the Ziro Festival of Music borrows for a few days each year: the same landscape, but no stage.
- Ask first — Ask before photographing priests, rites or people, and follow what the organisers on the ground ask of visitors.
- Monsoon — July is the monsoon: green paddies and rain. Pack for wet days.
- Holiday in Arunachal — Dree is on the Arunachal Pradesh holiday list, so state offices close for the day.
FAQ
In which state is Dree Festival celebrated?
In Arunachal Pradesh, by the Apatani people of the Ziro valley in Lower Subansiri district. Apatanis living elsewhere keep it too.
When is Dree?
Every year on 5 July (next: 5 July 2027). The village rites start the evening before.
What is Dree Festival about?
It is an agricultural festival held before the rice harvest: the rites ask for protection from pests, disease and famine, and for a healthy crop and prosperity.
Do I need a permit to visit Ziro?
Yes. Indian citizens need an Inner Line Permit and foreign nationals a Protected Area Permit; both can be applied for on the state portal eilp.arunachal.gov.in.
Can visitors attend Dree?
The public ground on 5 July is open, with the flag, the anthem, dances and games. The village rites the evening before are the community’s own: watch only if invited, and ask before taking photos.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.