Mizoram's Chapchar Kut festival to begin on March 9

Aizawl, Jan 20 (PTI) The week-long 'Chapchar Kut', one of the biggest festivals of Mizoram, will begin on March 9, officials said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the spring festival's organising committee, chaired by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, they said.

The celebrations will begin with a 'Kut Run' on March 9, and as in previous years, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) will prepare T-shirts for participants.

On March 10, exhibitions of handloom, textiles and handicrafts will be held. A food court will also be set up, and the venue will be decided later. A flower show will also be organised at the Aijal club on the same day.

Painting and photo exhibitions, along with a film screening, will be held on March 11 at two venues -- Vanapa Hall and the state's Information and Public Relations Department's Lianchhiri Run (hall) in Aizawl.

Additionally, a living museum will be set up at Zokhua in Falkawn village, about 15 km from Aizawl, on March 11 and 12.

It was also decided that the grand 'Chapchar Kut' celebration will be held at Lammual ground in the capital town at 10.30 am on March 13. The CM will be the 'Kut Pa' or father of the festival, while Art and Culture Minister C Lalsawivunga will be the 'Kut thlengtu' or the host of the festival.

The upcoming Chapchar Kut will be a garbage-free festival, where participants will be instructed not to leave behind any trash at the venues, officials said.

The committee has also chosen "Zo nun ze mawi- Inremna" (Mizo code of ethics- Peace) as the theme of the festival.

The Chief Minister's Trophy, which carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh along with a citation and a memento, will be given during the celebrations.

The festival will also be celebrated in other parts of the state, officials said.

Chapchar Kut is celebrated after the completion of the most arduous task of jhum cultivation -- clearing the forest and burning of remnants.

According to historians, Chapchar Kut is said to have started about 500 years ago in a village called Suaipui, adjoining Myanmar. When Christian missionaries arrived in Mizoram in the late 1890s, they discouraged the festival, stating that it was detrimental to religious values.

However, the festival was revived in 1973 on a mass scale, sans animistic practice and alcohol.

Tourists from different parts of the world used to attend the festival in the past. PTI CORR SOM