In the halcyon days of Mizo
History, around 1450-1700 A.D. (no-one could tell the exact
time), a Kawlni Chief ruled over the most famous and most
populous village called Suaipui. Geographically this Suaipui
village of the ancestors of the Mizo was located within the
territory of Myanmar. The highest aspiration of every young man
in those days, was to excel in a feat of strength, skill or
bravery in the field of battle or in hunting or even in sports.
Such exploits or achievements of young man enhanced the fame of
the village and sway of the chief. Often, it was the chief or
his son, who used to lead young men of the village to war or to
hunting expeditions. It was such practice which prompted, in
later years, Col. John Shakespeare to write ‘The Lushais are not
to be driven but led’ One fine morning in spring, the Chief of
Suaipui gathered his village braves to a hunting expedition into
the deep animal-infested forests, taking their flint-lock
muskets, spears and daos. Sufficient gun-powder manufactured
with the help of the village maidens were carried. Incidentally,
it may be of interest to know that forefathers of Mizos knew how
to manufacture gun-powder locally, since time immemorial. The
hunting expedition took several days, it may last till they
finished the stock of rice they carried or till they bagged
enough big games with their guns. The villagers anxiously waited
with expectancy for their successful return which will be
followed by feasting with meat and drinking of rice-bear and
general rejoicing. The village maidens were even more anxious,
because, they would then make ear-rings, hair-combs and such
other ornaments out of the ivory, bones and teeth of the big
games they would be bringing home. Housewives took their turns
and brew rice-beer with the biggest beer-pots available and made
sure that there would be no dearth of Zu to go round when the
intrepid hunters return with their booty.
Unfortunately however, as our legend says, the chief and his
desperadoes were not blessed by ‘Chawngleri’ (the Guardian Queen
of the beasts) or they were cursed by Black Hollock by
sprinkling its droppings on them. The hunters came back to the
village with no booty, empty-handed. Imagine their discomfiture
when they saw their village folks who waited for them with great
expectancy. The worthy young chiefs’ initiative and inventive
mind, however saved the situation which gave us the Chapchar Kut
which we celebrate even today.
To cover up the shame and disappointment, the chief proposed an
impromptu feast instantly- he showed up his fat pig and asked
his hunting-mates to contribute a fowl each. A feast was thus
made with meat aplenty and rice-beer zu was flowing. The spirit
went high and the mood was changed from disappointment to joyful
merrymaking young men and young women threw their hands around
each other and danced in a circle; there were singing and
clapping of hands all the while. The entire community enjoyed
themselves even more than they would ever do even if the hunters
had come back with rich booty. They have turned ‘defeat into
victory’ as it were, and Chapchar Kut was born. Every year ever
since, around that fateful time, the festival of a sort was
repeated by Suaipui, and many other villages followed suit with
their own innovations and time.
Along with the birth of Chapchar Kut was also born a particular
dance which we now call Chai. It is also interesting to note
that, the incident which was responsible for the origin of
Chapchar Kut also carried along with it the tradition of
contributing zu or rice-beer and food (including of course-meat)
for the festival. The time also happened to be the most
opportune time, when the chilly winter thaws into Spring, when
the intense cold is over and the summer heat is not yet known.
The trees begin to bear new leaves and wild beast and birds
begin to welcome the bright warm morning of Spring. Added to
this, the Mizo people have by this time completed their arduous
task of clearing of the forests for their Jhum and left I them
in the sun to dry till they would be burnt a couple of months
later. Thus, for the hard-working Mizo villagers, this is the
rare respite they can enjoy leisure in a year. It may not be out
of place to say here, that in most of the North Eastern States a
gay festival under different name is celebrated around this
time. It is therefore meet and proper that the sister States of
the North East India come together to share our respective
Spring Festivals with the spirit of fraternal reciprocity.
IN COURSE OF TIME
In course of time Chapchar Kut was celebrated in all the
villages in Mizoram and very soon assumed a very important
cultural tradition in our society. Each village must have
developed their own brand of celebration to suit their own time,
idiom and ethos, over the years. The general standard of
celebrations was of four to five days with specific emphasis or
programmes for each day. Following are the normal order of
celebrations –
Day One - Lusei Vawktalh - Pig slaughtering and feasting
in Lusei Style- i.e. they kill their pigs late in the day so
that by the time the feast in ready most urchins were deep in
sleep. Upas-Elders spent the day drinking beer. Young people
prepared things for the festivals.
Day Two - Ralte Vawktalh - killing pigs early in the day.
Collecting their kith and kin to a pig-feast. Elders, including
women spent the day drinking beer-Young boys and girls, busy in
preparations enjoying themselves singing and dancing. At
evenfall old women-carrying cooked food and boiled eggs-feeding
passersby with food at entrance to the village-usually under the
banyan trees/near memorial stones.
Day Three - Young men and young women turned out at night
dressed in their fineries - necklaces of amber, ear-rings of
ivory and beautiful headgears, (for information - Mizos do not
value nor possess gold ornaments) - Boys and girls formed
circles in the village yard-threw their hands over each others
swaying to the left and to the right rhythmically to the beat
and tune of the drummer and the singer in the middle who kept
the time of his song with the clanking of mithun horns. While
the young men and girls were dancing thus it was the duty of the
small boys and girls to ply them with rice-beer to quench their
thirst while they were dancing. They sing and danced in gay
abandon far into the night and right up to the next morning. If
they could set the festive mood the next morning they could join
in the next proceedings, if not, not.
Day Four - Zupui Ni - Zupui is a rice-beer brewed with
husks on it is a mild beer, specially made for festive and
special days-One can drink Zupui for the whole day and not get
drunk, so they say. Zupui is normally drunk through syphon or
pipe immersed into the beer-pot. On this day Zupui contributed
by various families were passed around the whole day. Towards
the evening cultural sing-song and dancing got underway again
which may last till the small hours of the next morning once
again, depending on the mood.
Day Five – ‘Zu Thing Chawi Ni’ - on the fifth day - it
was customary to try and finish all the Zu (beer) contributed
or collected for the Chapchar Kut.
Day Six - ‘Eipuar Awm Ni’ - A day of Siesta - shall we
call it. Having fed themselves with meat and drinks to the brim
-they called this, a day of rest. Going out on this day for work
or for hunting - outside the village perimetre was ‘taboo’ - Not
Done.
ON RECORD + THE LONGEST CHAPCHAR KUT
The above is the general standard Chapchar Kut celebration which
our forefathers used to have before the advent of the British
Administrators and the Missionaries. The duration of the
celebration, the timing and the style the festivals may have
variations but on the whole they were fairly similar. There is a
story which tells that the Chawngtui Village-Chapchar Kut
celebration went on and on so that the entire village forgot
their jhumming works and by the time they realised, it was
already a harvesting time. The entire village had to disperse to
other neighbouring villages. At Ruallung Village - the Chai
Dance of Chapchar Kut was so enjoyable and so long that it went
on and on. Suddenly, a parrot flew over their heads - they
shouted at the poor bird which was frightened to drop the
‘thing’ in her mouth - when they saw this ‘thing’ they realised
that it was the ear of paddy. Well, it was harvesting time. They
didn’t stop a day too soon.
THE POST — CHRISTIAN DAYS
Christianity came to Mizoram since 1894 through the
Missionaries. Within a few years many Mizos embraced the new
religion. The newly converts and the Missionaries felt most of
the cultural traditions of the heathen Mizos, including the
observance of Chapchar Kut and other Kuts, which were so
profusely connected with animistic practices and drinking of zu
were unbecoming of Christian Living. The newly converted
Christians were therefore forbidden to participate and indulge
in them. The Presbyterian Church in Aizawl and the Baptist
Church in Lunglei strongly discouraged their members from taking
part in any of the Kuts and cultural activities as they thought
such activities would hold them and pull them back to their old
pagan ways. At the gestation period of Christianity among the
simple tribesmen in Mizoram such an attitude of the Church was
tolerated, and perhaps justified.
With the increase of educated men among the Mizos and with the
increasing exposure to the outside world there was an increasing
opinion that our cultural heritage could be refined and sieved
to go along with Christianity without compromising with the
doctrines in the Bible. In the fast changing Mizo Society,
attitudes and values change as rapidly as does our environment.
Enlightened Mizo society does no longer look askance at our
cultural heritage as detrimental to our integrity to the faith
but rather as an enrichment of Christian brotherhood worldwide.
There is no reason now to be ambivalent about the celebration of
our cultural festivals in a refined way as we do today.
TRADITION DIES HARD
Although the Presbyterian Synod and the Baptist Assembly were as
of principle, officially, opposed to revival of the old
traditional cultural festivities and activities, enlightened
church leaders were more liberal yet ambivalent. They saw no
harm in singing the old songs, dancing the traditional cultural
dances, if there were no drinking and pagan revelry and
obeisance to anything connected to the old animism. In fact,
the Baptist Church in the south, in its Assembly meeting in the
thirties, passed a resolution saying that there is no harm to
cultural activities and performances if it was merely done with
the spirit of demonstration and not actual indulgence or
adherence to the old animism. The borderline between Culture and
Religion is extremely thin and hard to define. For the guardians
of the nascent Churches it was necessary to walk carefully. Even
today, the Churches find themselves stymied on the subject even
as the majority of their members choose to walk freely on the
green fields of culture.
The British Officers of the Administration were all through, at
variance with the Missionaries on the question of culture -
including drinking of rice-beer. That was not surprising at all.
Around 1930 some nationalistic minded Mizo staff of the office
of the superintendent applied for a holiday to celebrate the
Chapchar Kut. They did celebrate Chapchar Kut at Thakthing Veng
and Chaltlang in that way for some years. When the Mizo District
Council was established in Mizoram in 1952 a Bill was passed in
the Council for the Observance of Chapchar Kut (3 days), Pawl
Kut (2 days) and Mim Kut (1 day). For the next 20 years
(1952—1972) the District Council officially declared holidays
for the celebration of the Mizo Festivals. Although official
holidays were declared, public celebration of the festivals on
a large scale and in an organised manner happened only from 1960
onwards. A committee consisting of Pu Hrangaia (convener), Pu B.
Poonte, Pu Sangliana, Pu Sainghinga, Pu R.Buchhawna, Pu R.Zuala,
Pu Tawnluia, Pi Meli and Pi Hmingliani was formed to organise
the celebration.
In 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964 Chapchar Kut were celebrated in an
organised manner and on a mass scale at the Assam Rifles Parade
ground in Aizawl. There were Khuallam, Cheraw, Hockey, Inkawibah,
Cycle Races and Costume Parades to entertain the public. Things
went off very well, except in 1964 when a group of rowdies
quietly smuggled in a few bottles of rum to ply the dancers
with. This was done without the knowledge of the organisers and
obviously without their approval. The news reached the Church
authority through the grapevine. Criticism of the Chapchar Kut
celebration 1964 was issued from the Church. The Church’s
injunction further stated that church members should not allow
their sons and daughters to join the Chapchar Kut next time,
i.e. 1965. So it was forestalled.
In 1966 also celebration of Chapchar Kut was not held on a mass
scale. 1967-72 no proper celebration of the Chapchar Kut could
be held owing to the insurgency. In 1972 Chapchar Kut was again
revived on a mass scale by the Directorate of Information &
Public Relations and Tourism. In 1973 the Mizo Zirlai Pawl, with
the help of the Information & Public Relations spearheaded the
Chapchar Kut Celebration at the AR Ground on a mass scale. Even
at this stage, the Church Leaders were still not yet fully
convinced but no opposition was voiced by them. However, Church
Leaders failed to give their blessings on the Chapchar Kut
functions which was enough to dampen the spirit. Mizoram was by
1972 raised to the status of an Union Territory. There was a
popular rejoicing at the raised political status and the
formation of popular Ministry in Mizoram. On the other hand the
public was fed-up with the tense insurgency atmosphere and they
were yearning to ventilate their mental constriction through
songs, dances and other worthwhile entertainments.
Under such conditions, the Government of Mizoram was wise enough
to find out ways and means of organising such public
entertainments and diversions. Chapchar Kut comes only once a
year, what more can we do create wholesome and peaceful
atmosphere? Such entertainments will also go along way in
bringing an end to the lingering insurgency and also bring about
the spirit of Cooperation and fraternity between all people —
army, civil and the Government servants, and perhaps wean back
the insurgents too + With such ideas in mind, the Information
and Public Relations Department under the leadership of the
Chief Secretary organised Beat Contests, Recitation
Competitions, On-the-Spot Painting Competitions and Winter
Festivals on a grand scale. The results were amazing; the
response from the public was simply great. Added to this the
Chapchar Kut was organised on a grand scale, and at this stage
the opposition from the Church was not more than a caution.
In 1974 the Art & Culture Department came into being. This new
department, with its appropriate paraphernalia took up the
Chapchar Kut Celebrations as part of its important functions
from 1981 onwards. From 1981 onwards a State Level Committee for
Chapchar Kut was formed with senior officer as its Chairman.
Year by year, the celebration saw a lot of improvements.
Chapchar Kut celebrations of 1993, 1994 under the Chairmanship
of Pu Lalfak Zuala were so well organised and popular that
anyone who participated in the festivals will not easily
forget. They saw something to write home about. One looks
forward to seeing Chapchar Kut becoming the greatest draw in
attracting Tourists from all over the world to Mizoram in the
near future.
We have seen how Chapchar Kut as a Cultural heritage and popular
festival has been kept alive and preserved mostly in the State
Capital. It would befall in my duty if mention is not made of
the laudable efforts made elsewhere by enlightened and staunch
supporters of our culture. Of all the persons, it was the Rev.
J.F. Raper (Zomawia Pa), one of the missionaries, who made
conscientious efforts to preserve and revive the Mizo tradition
of Zawlbuk, cultural dances through the Scouts movement started
by him in Lung-lei in 1932, June 6th. He was ably supported by a
number of leaders like Pu Thala, Pu Lalmama, Pu Hangpawla, Pu
J. Buana who later got a Padma Shree award, Pi Nuchhungi who
also got a Pad-ma Shree award, Pu Chhuana, Pu Rokunga, Pu
Sumleta, Pu Raltawna and many others. One Lady missionary, named
Pi Zirtiri (Miss Chapman), who was in charge of women’s
education in South Mizoram - introduced cultural dances and
games and Mizo Lullabies to be used in her schools all along.
She blended the Mizo lullabies with the English Nursery rhymes
in a manner easily understood and learnt by Mizo children. Like
this, from all quarters there were efforts to preserve and kept
alive our cultural heritage and today after we have attained a
hundred years of Christianity it is time to look at matters of
religion and culture in their true perspectives with mature
minds.
Thanks to the efforts of worthy individuals, organisations, the
government and thanks to the public enthusiasm, Chapchar Kut has
become the most popular, most colourful cultural festival of
Mizoram now. The day is declared a gazetted holiday and is
celebrated all over Mizoram.
(Source : DIPR website http://dipr.mizoram.gov.in) |