Fairs and Festivals

FESTIVALS

A year in Manipur consists of a cycle of festivals. It is also rightly said as the land of festivals. Festival is a symbol of the culture and traditions of the Manipuris which help the people in their recreational and mental relaxation.

Lai Haraoba:

‘Lai Haraoba’ is a spring festival held during April and May where both men and women perform a number of dances worshipping the deity. This festival depicts the Creation and signifies the worship of ancestors and traditional deities, performed for peace and prosperity. Some of the important deities are Umang Lai (forest gods), Thangjing Lai.

Cheiraoba:

This festival celebrated in the month of April signifies the Manipur New Year. During this festival people clean and decorate their houses, compound and road and prepare special dishes that are first offered to various Gods for prosperous New Year ahead. A part of the ritual entails villagers climbing the nearest hill tops in belief that it will enable them to rise to greater heights in their worldly life.

Ningol Chakouba:

It is one of the popular festivals among the Manipuris when married daughters of the family visit their parental house along with her children and enjoy sumptuous feast. All the married daughters of the family will come and join together with their parents and share the moment of joy and happiness. It is a form of family rejoinder to revive family affection.

Yaoshang:

This festival is celebrated for five days continuously in the month of March. It is a festival of colours and all people, young and old of both sexes, participate in this festival. Thabal chongba (a kind of Manipuri folk dance, where boys and girls hold hands and dance together in a circle), games & sports, parties and feast are organized during these festive days.

Kang:

This is one of the greatest festivals of the Hindus of Manipur. It is celebrated for 10 days in the month of Ingen (June/July).  It is also popularly known as Rath Jatra where Lord Jagannath leaves in a Rath pulled by pilgrims. During the night Choideb Palas are organised and songs are sung in praise of the almighty.

Mera Houchongba:

Mera Houchongba is the only common traditional festival of all ethnic groups of Manipur showcasing the inseparable close tie between the hill and valley people, celebrated at Sana Konung (Royal Palaca). Exchange of gifts among the valley and hill people before the titular king marked the festival. Hundreds of people both from the hill and valley with their respective traditional colourful attire came together to celebrate the festival.

Ramjan Id:

Ramjan Id is the most popular festival of the Manipuri Muslims (Meitei Pangal) and is observed in the usual spirits of joy and festivities. During this month the Muslims practice self denial by avoiding any food, drink and smoke from pre-dawn till sunset, but spent on prayers. After the month on the second day of shawwal, when the new moon is visible they break fast and this day is called Id-Ul-Fitre. On this day, they go to the mosques to offer prayers and take delicious dishes, exchange greetings and call on the friends and relatives.

KUT:

KUT is a festival of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo people of Manipur.  It is celebrated during the month of November by villagers after a bountiful stocks harvested during the year. It is celebrated with feasts, songs and dances in honor of the abundant giver the God Almighty.

Lui-Ngai-Ni:

It is one of the important festivals of the Nagas of Manipur, celebrated during the month of February. It is said to be the seed sowing festival after which the Nagas start their sowing season. All the Naga constituents participated in this festival with songs and dances.

Gang-Ngai:

It is one of the important festivals of the Zeliangrong Nagas, celebrated for five days in the month of January/February. The festival starts with traditional rituals by blowing horn and by making fresh fire with the ancient friction method and distributed to every household. People of all age dressed in their best attire celebrated the festival with common feast, dances presentation of farewell gifts etc.

Heikru Hidongba:

It is also popularly known as Boat race, celebrated during the month of September. 16 metres narrow boats are used accommodating large number of rovers for the race.

Christmas:

It is one of the most important festivals of the Christians celebrated throughout the state of Manipur during the month of December. People sing Christmas Carols and exchange gifts and greetings to mark the birth of Jesus   . Songs, sports and worship services are conducted during this festival.

Religious Gathering:

Religion like Christian faith used to organize Annual / Biannual Association, Silver/ Golden/ Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Chumpha:

This is a great festival of the Tangkhul Nagas, celebrated for seven days in the month of December. The festival is celebrated after the harvest. The last three days are devoted to social gatherings and rejoicing. The concluding part of the festival ends with a procession within the village.

Chagah Festival:

Chagah festival is celebrated by the Liangmai community of Manipur during the month of October (Chagah Hiu in local dialect).  It is celebrated to mark the coming of joyful days after winning war against adversaries. The festival is also associated with sanctification for prosperous life with good fortune. 

Manipur Sangai Festival:

The Manipur Sangai Festival is one of the famous festivals of Manipur sponsored by the Tourism Department, Government of Manipur. It is a 10 days Annual Festival held from 21^st of November to 30^th of November where various arts and culture, handloom, indigenous sports, Eco adventure tourism are shown.