| Chapchar Kut Mizo New Year | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from the top: Chapchar Kut 2023 celebration in Aizawl, a woman stuffing eggs to a girl (chhawnghnawh), Chai dance in Indianapolis, Cheraw dance in New Delhi. | |
| Also called | Spring Festival, Mizo New Year |
| Observed by | Mizo people all around the world |
| Type | Cultural |
| Significance | Marking the end of the Jhum cultivation month |
| Date | First Friday of March |
| Frequency | Annual |
The Chapchar Kut is a festival of Mizoram, India. [1]
Chapchar Kut is estimated to have started in 1450–1700 A.D. in a village called Suaipui. The festival apparently originated when the hunters came back to the village empty handed, to make up for the disappointment, the Village chief proposed an impromptu feast with rice beer and meat. Since then, every year the festival had been repeated by the village of Suaipui and spread on to other villages. [2] Chapchar Kut was first revived in 1962 on a grand scale in Aizawl, however it was discouraged when it was felt that it did not adhere to Christian values and rekindling the pre Christian cultural practices like drinking of rice beer, however, it was continued in 1973 on a mass scale sans animistic practice and cheraw dance. [3] Even the Church which had been critical of the festival no longer objected to the festival as it felt that traditional culture was disappearing. [4] Chapchar Kut is now held annually in the Month of March. People dance, perform skits, play musical instruments to celebrate their beloved festival with the aims of bringing camaraderie among the people. [5]
Oral traditions say Chapchar Kut was first celebrated in Seipui village in adjoining Myanmar that has a sizeable population of Mizos and their ethnic cousins. Chapchar Kut used to be celebrated to thank the gods for saving the people from harm during the clearing of forest on hill slopes for jhum cultivation at the beginning of a year. The festival used to be observed with a lot of drinking and eating. On the first night the young men and women would dance all night. The women would come dressed wearing a Vakiria. Chai dance has its origins in this festival. [6] Today, the festival is observed in the last part of February or the early part of March when the trees and bamboos felled for jhum are left to dry and the shifting cultivators have time to relax and enjoy. [7]
The Main activities which are done during the Chapchar Kut are:
Mizoram is a landlocked state in northeastern India, with Aizawl as its capital and largest city. It shares 722-kilometres of international borders with Bangladesh to the west, and Myanmar to the east and south, with domestic borders with the Indian states of Assam, Manipur, and Tripura. It covers an area of 21,087 square kilometres which 91% of the area is covered by forests, making it the most heavily forested state in India. With an estimated population of 1.25 million in 2023, it is the second least populated state in India. With an urbanisation rate of 51.5% it is the most urbanised state in northeast India, ranking fifth in urbanisation nationwide. One of the two official languages and most widely spoken tongue is Mizo, which serves as a lingua franca among various ethnic communities who speak a variety of other Tibeto-Burman or Indo-Aryan languages. Mizoram is home to the highest percentage of scheduled tribes in India, with the Mizo people forming the majority.
The Mizo people, historically called the Lushais, are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group primarily from Mizoram in northeastern India. They speak Mizo, one of the state's official languages and its lingua franca. Beyond Mizoram, sizable Mizo communities live in neighboring northeast Indian states like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura, with minority populations also found in Myanmar and the United States. Mizoram is the second most literate state in India, at more than a rate of 90%.
Jampui Hills is a part of the Mizo hills range located in the North Tripura district in the north eastern part of the Indian state of Tripura. The average altitude of the hill range is approximately 1000 metres above sea level.
Lawngtlai is a town located in the southern part of Mizoram, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Lawngtlai district and is home to the Pawi people, also known as the Hakha Chin people in Myanmar. Lawngtlai celebrates a variety of indigenous festivals, such as the Hlukhla Kut, similar to that of Chapchar Kut.
The Phoms are a Naga ethnic group native to the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. Their traditional territory lies between the territories of Konyak in the north-east, the Ao in the west and the Chang in the south. Phoms celebrate several festivals in a year of which Monyiü is the greatest. It is celebrated from April 1 to 6 every year. Other traditional festivals include Moha, Bongvüm and Paangmo. They primarily inhabit the Longleng District.
Ziona was the leader of Lalpa Kohhran Thar, informally referred to as Chana Pâwl or Chhuanthar Kohhran, a polygamy-practising Christian sect in Mizoram, India. He was often referred to as a world record holder for being the head of the "world's largest existing family" or the "world's biggest family". In 2011, as officials of the Guinness World Records made verification, he refused the world record title as he shunned publicity. His family was nonetheless listed as the "Biggest Family" in the world in 2011 by the World Record Academy, and The Wall Street Journal in 2011, and then by the London World Records in 2019.
Reiek is a mountain and tourist spot 29 km from Aizawl, Mizoram, India. It rests at an elevation of 1,465 metres overlooking Aizawl and offers a view of the surrounding valleys and hills. On a clear day, the plains of Bangladesh can be seen from the top of the hill. Reiek Hill is surrounded by thick lush green temperate trees and bushes.
Hmuifang is a tourist spot about 50 km from Aizawl, Mizoram, India. With an elevation of 1,619 metres, the mountain is covered with forest reserves since all the Mizo Chief's time.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
The Darlong people are a sub-tribe of Hmar,living in the state of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam India. The Darlong call themselves ‘hriam’ or ‘manmasi nauhai’. They constitute less than one percent of the population of Tripura.
The history of Christianity in Mizoram covers the origin and development of all forms of Christianity in Mizoram since the British occupation at the end of the 19th century until Indian Independence. Christianity arrived due to British intervention in tribal warfare, raids of British plantations. The ensuing punitive British military expedition was called the Lushai Expedition of 1871. The subsequent annexation of the erstwhile Lushai Hills to the British Empire opened the gateway for British Christian missions to evangelise the Mizo people.
Mizoram is a state in the northeast of India. Mizoram is considered by many as a beautiful place due to its landscape and pleasant climate. There have been many attempts to increase revenue through tourism but many potential tourists find the lack of amenities to be a hurdle. However, the State continues to promote itself and many projects have been initiated. The tourism ministry continues to maintain or upgrade its tourist lodges throughout the state. Foreign tourists are required to obtain an 'inner line permit' under the special permit before visiting. The permit can be obtained from Indian missions abroad for a limited number of days or direct from Mizoram Government authorities within India. The state is rich in bird diversity, which has the potentiality to make it a major birding destination. Mizoram is a stronghold for Mrs. Hume's pheasant. There is also a rare record of the wild water buffalo from the state. There are several past records of the Sumatran rhinoceros from Mizoram, then Lushai Hills. The small population of wild elephants can be seen in Ngengpui and Dampa Sanctuaries.
Sabual is a village in the northeastern part of Tripura state in Northeast India. It is one of the ten Mizo-Reang villages which compose the Jampui Hills range under Kanchanpur Sub-Division. The District headquarter, Dharmanagar is approximately 85 kilometers from Sabual. It sits at about 1000 meters above sea level. Summer is cool and winter season is cold. The economy of the village depend on shifting cultivation and Gardening.
Phullen is a town in Saitual district, in the Indian state of Mizoram. As per the Constitution of India and Panchayati Raj Act, Phullen is administrated by a Village Council who are the elected representatives of the village. It is located 125 kilometres (78 mi) east of the State Capital Aizawl, which is also the capital of Mizoram. Phullen is a Block headquarters of Phullen Block, which is bounded by Darlawn Block towards west, Ngopa Block towards East, Thingsulthliah Block
The culture of the Mizo people has been heavily influenced by Christianity during the colonial era of the British Raj and the rise of Mizo nationalism with the Mizo Insurgency of 1966-1986. Mizo culture is rooted in the arts and ways of life of Mizos in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Mizo culture has developed in plurality with historical settlements and migrations starting from Southern China to the Shan states of Burma, the Kabaw valley and the state of Mizoram under the British and Indian administrations.
Aizawl, formerly known as Aijal, is the capital city and the most populous city of Mizoram, India. It is also the third largest city in northeast India. It is situated atop a series of ridges, with an average elevation of around 1,132 metres above sea level. In 2024, the city has an estimated population of 415,000 people.
The Union Territory of Mizoram, spanning from 1972 to 1987, was formed as a response to the Mizo people's demand for greater autonomy. During this time period, reforms in administration and preservation of Mizo culture started.
Chheih Lam is a Mizo traditional dance originating from the Indian state of Mizoram during the early 1900s. It represents the spirits of happiness and joy, traditionally performed during a cool evening after the day's work was over with a round of rice beer. It is now a stage dance typically performed during Chapchar Kut.
Khual Lam is a Mizo traditional dance from the Indian state of Mizoram that is performed for guests. Nowadays, it is performed in every major Mizo cultural festival but still maintains the tradition of performing for guests such as the state Chief Minister, or government officials.
K.C. Runremsangi is an Indian folk singer. She has been called the "Queen Of Mizo Folk Song". Mizo is a language. She had made dozens of recordings and her awards include the Padma Shri in 2023 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2017