Do you know how many Indians or people globally celebrate harvest festivals like other religious festivals? There is a very small
number of people who celebrate or enjoy harvesting/agriculture like other traditional or religious festivals.
Currently, only a few harvesting festivals left, celebrated in local communities of various regions according to their tradition.
Maybe, it depends on their tradition or wealth in agriculture.
Chavang Kut festival of Manipur
Kut festival is one of those harvest festivals that celebrates in North-East India, especially in Manipur.
Kut festival doesn't celebrate with hardcore rules and regulations.
It is a simple local and traditional festival which celebrate after every seasonal harvesting.
Types of Kut festival
Traditionally, the Chin-Muki-Mizo community celebrates this festival in various regions of Northern-Eastern India.
'Kut' is a local word that means 'harvest'. There are several types of Kut festival those celebrated in India-
- Chapchar Kut
- Chavang Kut
- Mim kut
The most popular and adopted kut festival is chavang kut and cha pchar kut. Chapchar kut festival is celebrate in March and April after the Jhum cultivation. Every year, Jhum harvesting these people opportunity to gather once again and celebrate what they harvest in their life. They hope for wealth, happiness, and peace in there through this festival.
Mim kut celebrates the harvesting of the Maize crop in January.
What is Chavang Kut?
Chavang kut festival celebrates in the 1st week of November every year, in the autumn season.
Chavang kut refers 'chavang' means Autumn and 'Kut' means 'harvest'. Collectively Chavang kut means Autumn harvesting. Chavang kut is the significance of the second last/last harvesting of the year.
It doesn't matter that people belong to which type of class(wealth), they participate in the festival and do the same things as others do. They ignore all the differences of society and give their 100% to live a wonderful day.
Events during Chavang kut festival
There was a time when Chavang Kut was celebrated at the night but past few years, its time has been changed in the daytime because of other unwanted involvement of bad elements. Also one of the major reasons is sports participation.
Chavang Kut celebration time is not certain but most probably it starts from 10 AM at a big place. All the people come to this selected place to participate and celebrate the festival.
Following are events encouraged by local communities(CHIKIM)-
Traditional attire and dance
Northern-Eastern dance of India is very cultural. It shows the integration and collective behavior of the people.
In the Chavang kut festival, people grab hands with each other and revolve in circles with others. People wear their traditionally signified clothes made by their own hands. Women and Men wear particularly handmade clothes and dance in groups. Every cloth is designed with a sign of tradition which adds value to the behavior of the people.
Traditional singing and sports
There are songs written on Chapchar Kut, that describes the values of harvesting in human life. People participate and sing their favorite songs of Chavang kut.
Some of the people participate in several games like the high jump and a few local competitions.
Feast of the harvested crop
Although in recent times, modern feasts are added to most of the traditional festivals but still ain feast in Chavang Kut festival does make the recently harvested crops.
All the people arrange the feast for the community and enjoy the celebration. Again, chap char kut is the signature of the collective celebration.
Chavang kut of Manipur 2021 date
The last year 2020, affected the kut celebration because of a global pandemic. It was on 1st November 2020, when the world was suffering. This year, the situation is almost under control. Same as last year, Chavang kut will celebrate on 1st November with all the essentials.
What to expect from Chavang kut this year?
Agriculture is the sector that is affected most by the global pandemic. Last year it was on peak and farmers faced the double impact of low yield harvesting and pandemic too.
Chavang kut celebration was not celebrated as its real form but at some places, people did shadow celebrations.
Till October last week of 2021, most of the situation is under control in India. People can travel, gather with essential safety equipment. So this year, it may be a huge celebration of Chavang kut in Manipur. People suffered a lot last year, so they can feel a double increase in the value of joy by celebration.
Traditional games, dance, and singing are expected this year in full capacity.