In the Mizo history
around 1450-1700 AD a Kawlni chief ruled over a village called
Suapui which was located within the territory of Myanmar. In those
days the highest aspiration of every young man was to excel in
the feat of strength, skill or bravery in the field or in hunting
or even in sports. Often the chief or his son led youngmen to
the village to war or to hunting expeditions. The villagers anxiously
awaited the successful return of the hunting teams for whom a
special meat and Zu (rice beer) were unusually prepared by them.
It was followed by great rejoicing by the whole village.
As the legend goes,
one fine spring morning the chief of Suapui led his village braves
to a hunting expedition into a deep forest full of wild animals.
The hunting expedition took several days. The villagers waited
for the successful return of their warriors. Their biggest pots,
full of locally made rice beer used to be ready to welcome the
intrepid hunters returning with their booty. The village maidens
were even more anxious, because they would then make ear rings,
hair combs from the hones and teeth of the catches they would
be bringing home.
But unfortunately
the chief and his braves were not blessed by Chawngtinleri (the
guardian queen of the beasts) and that made them return to village
empty-handed to the deep despair of the welcome party. Understanding
the shame and disappointment of his braves the chief instantly
proposed an impromptu festival - made up with drinking beer and
feast to lighten the gloomy mood of his braves. He himself showed
up with a fat pig and a big rice beer pot asking each of his hunting
mates to contribute fowls and beer pots.
A feast was thus
prepared with meat aplenty and rice beer flowing. The village
folks were also requested to join the feast. The spirits then
went high and the mood changed from disappointment to merry making;
young men and women joined hands and danced in circle; singing
and clapping their hands all the while.
So the entire
community enjoyed even more than they would have done had the
hunters come back with rich booty. They would turn defeat into
victory as it were and so all the folks joined in singing, dancing
and merry making. Seeing the happy singing and delighted folks
the Suapui village chief thought that it should be repeated every
year at the same time. This gave birth to the most loved Mizo
festival known as Chapchar Kut. The delightful dance called Chai
also found its origin.
Celebration
In
course of time, Chapchar Kut began to be celebrated in all the
Mizo villages becoming a very important cultural tradition in
the society. Each village developed its own brand of celebration
to suit its own time, idiom and ethos over the years. The celebrations
carried on for four to five days.
On the first day
pigs were killed late in the day for feasting and on the next
morning village elders including women spent the day drinking
beer while young boys and girls were busy making preparations
for singing and dancing. Old women used to carry cooked food and
boiled eggs to feed the passers by at the entrance of the village
usually under a banyan tree or near memorial stones.
The third day of
Chapchar Kut festival is also termed as Chai Ni (dancing day).
Young men and women dressed themselves in their best ornaments-necklace
of amber, earrings of ivory and beautiful headband made of fine
feathers. Boys and girls sang and danced all through the night
forming circles in the chief’s yard.
The fourth day is
called Zupui Ni (Zupui is a mild beer brewed with husks specially
made for festive and special days) Zupui, contributed by various
families, was passed around the whole day. Towards the evening,
songs and dances got underway again lasting till the next morning.
The fifth day was
solemnized as Zu Thing Chaw Ni. On this day all the contributed
and collected Zu was to be finished. The sixth day used to be
the day of siesta. Having fed themselves with meat and drinks
to the brim they called it a day of rest. Hunting or going out
of the village was considered a taboo.
The longest Chapchar
Kut celebration in Mizo history was of the Chawngtui village.
It went on so long that the entire village forgot its cultivation.
This resulted in famine and the villagers dispersed to the neighboring
villages.
These days the practice
of mass feasting, drinking of locally-made beer and dancing throughout
the night has died down. Now arrangements are made for presenting
traditional dances of the Mizos. Colourful parading of different
clans with their traditional proceedings almost parallels the
Christian way of life.
Due to the efforts
of worthy individuals, organizations and the State government,
Chapchar Kut has now become the most popular and colourful cultural
festival of Mizoram. The day is declared a gazetted holiday and
is celebrated all over Mizoram.(PIB Features)
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Bamboo Dance to celebrate Chapchar Kut
Festival in Mizoram
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Mizos celebrating Chapchar Kut festival
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A Mizo couple in festive mood during
Chapchar Kut festival
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*AIO,
PIB, Aizwal
