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Chapchar Kut is Mizoram’s most popular and colorful cultural festival celebrated all over the region, marked as a gazette holiday. The term “kut” means festival in the local Mizo language, and this celebration is linked to agricultural activities. Every year, it is held on the second Friday of March and is named after the time when the bamboos and trees cut down for jhum cultivation are dried and burnt.
Chapchar Kut is considered the festival of joy for the Mizos, and it celebrates the arrival of spring with feasts and traditional dances. The festival starts with the Kut Puipate, the inauguration ceremony, followed by the Then Katna, where dance groups arrange themselves in the stadium. The elderly members of the society, representing the various tribes in the region, participate in a fantastic procession called the Kut Rore, dressed in traditional costumes. This is followed by various tribal dances, including the bamboo dance or Cheraw. The function concludes with the Then Thumna, where local singers perform traditional popular numbers while being cheered on by the crowd.
In the past, the festival was celebrated for several days, and everyone in the village had a role to play. The celebration was an opportunity to settle disputes and differences, and people danced and enjoyed themselves throughout the night, with liquor being an inseparable part of the festivities. However, in the modern version of Chapchar Kut, liquor is no longer allowed, and the youth of the Mizos immerse themselves in traditional music and dance to express their joy.
The festival symbolizes the unity of the Mizos, transcending cultural, religious, and economic barriers. It is a testament that blood is indeed thicker than water, and that’s why Mizos worldwide celebrate Chapchar Kut nowadays.
Overall, Chapchar Kut is a colorful and traditional festival that is celebrated every year with great pomp and splendor. Anyone who wants to experience the joy and unity of the Mizos should visit Mizoram during this festival.
Date: March
Location: Aizawl, Lunglei and Saiha
State: Mizoram
