Young and old both join and dance Chheihlam

Mizo community dancing Chheihlam on the occassion of Chapchar Kut.

Chapchar Kut is one of the oldest festivals of Mizoram and has a great cultural significance. It is an annual harvest festival celebrated in the month of March for a week.

Chapchar Kut marks the preparation before the onset of the sowing season and is celebrated during the time when jungles are cleared, bamboos and trees are cut down, and the land is prepared for jhum cultivation. Folk music and traditional dance performances are the major festivities of Chapchar Kut. And people from various tribal communities, from all ages and walks of life come together and participate in this festival. Dressed in traditional attire, different tribal communities compete with each other in dance and music.

The Bamboo dance is one of the major attractions of Chapchar Kut where only women folk take part in it. It is an interesting dance form where the men folks tap the bamboos and open and close in rhythmic beats as the dancer steps in and out gracefully to the beats of the bamboos. The festival is an amazing sight with people dressed in outfits vibrant in color and hats made from beads and feathers. Chapchar Kut is, indeed, a vibrant spring festival of Mizoram.

Source: mapsofindia.com

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