Famous Festivals in the Land of Blue Mountains: Mizoram

The country with 28 states, India, is known for its rich culture, heritage, and diverse range of people. One such state situated in the northeastern part of the country is Mizoram. The Land of Blue Mountains, Mizoram encapsulates some of the most beautiful and exotic landscapes that make the state more vibrant and one of India’s best places to visit. The colourful and traditional festivals celebrated in Mizoram are one such experience. Mizoram is one of the states from the seven sisters of India that are intertwined, which collectively forms the North-Eastern part of India. The seven sisters of India are on the wishlist of every traveller who wants to travel and explore these landscapes. People who live in Mizoram are known as Mizo, and the name not just defines one tribe but represents different tribes of Mizoram altogether. The term Mizo means highlander, people who live on the mountains in their local language (Mi means Mountains, and Zo means People). There are five major tribes in Mizoram and eleven other tribes, collectively known as Awzia. The people of Mizoram believe in close-knit societies. They have no class distinctions based on status, sex, or religion that reflect very well from the festivals that Mizo people celebrate. Visiting Mizoram during the festival season is the best time to explore the state’s culture, dance forms, art, and music. The festivals celebrated in Mizoram are a delight to the eyes as they happen in full glory and attract many tourists every year. Let us dip deep into the list of the major festivals of Mizoram and know about their cultural relevance.

1. Chapchar Kut Festival

The vibrant and colourful Chapchar Kut Festival is known as the Spring festival of Mizoram. The Chapchar Kut festival is also one of the main festivals of Mizoram as thousands of local people and foreign tourists engulf together to welcome the spring season. In Aizwal, the capital of Mizoram, the festival is also celebrated as a giant carnival. The onset of the spring season marks the end of harvesting season and the beginning of the new cultivation season. Hence, this is where the celebration of the Chapchar Kut festival of Mizoram begins. The farmers cut the bamboo, burn the leftover bamboo shoots and then sow the crops during the monsoon season, which is why the Chapchar Kut festival is also known as the harvest festival of Mizoram.

On this day Mizo people of all age groups, men and women, gather together, dressed in colourful traditional costumes and distinctive headgears and tribal jewellery, and perform various dance forms, folk songs and celebrate the arrival of the spring season. During this festival, one of the popular dances is the Cheraw dance, also known as Bamboo dance where bamboo staves are used for dancing by tribal men and women. Other dance forms that are performed during the Chapchar Kut festival are Khullam (celebration of new beginnings), Chheihlam (celebration of joy and exhilaration), and Solakia (war dance). Exhibitions of indigenous handcraft, local cuisine, games, musical performances, and flow shows are also organized during the Chapchar Kut festival for tourists and the local people of Mizoram.

2. Anthurium Festival

The Anthurium Festival is one of the famous festivals in Mizoram and is celebrated to promote tourism. The festival is organized annually by the Tourism Department in collaboration with the Horticulture department for three days in September when the Anthurium flowers are in their full bloom. The purpose of celebrating the Anthurium festival is to promote the cultivation of Anthurium flowers and attract more tourists to visit Mizoram and witness the scenic beauty that the state has to offer. The festival is celebrated at the Reik Mountain, situated in the capital city, Aizwal. The Anthurium Festival in Mizoram has been celebrated each year since 2006 and is a great way to support the Mizo women as a source of income. During the festival, the Anthurium flower cuts are also sold in the various parts of India and exported to foreign countries as well. The Anthurium Festival is a three-day extravagant festival of culture, dance, music, local handicrafts, handlooms, and local cuisine.

3. Mim Kut Festival

The Mim Kut Festival is one of the most significant festivals in Mizoram, celebrated in November or early December. The festival is known to be celebrated during the harvest season for the departed souls. The seeds that are sown during the Chapchar Kut festival are harvested during the Mim Kut festival. The festival is celebrated as a ceremony to welcome the harvesting period. The Mizo farmers harvest the first produce from their fields and keep them for the departed souls to come and have the harvested first produce. Apart from the first produce, the Mizo people also keep the departed soul’s possessions like ornaments and clothes in order to honour them. The Mim Kut festival is celebrated in all the households of Mizoram irrespective of any status or religion. The Mizo people prepare the departed soul’s favourite cuisine during the Mim Kut festival and traditionally prepare rice beer to enjoy during the fiesta. The people are dressed in their traditional attire with distinctive jewellery and headgears and celebrate the Kim Kut festival with music and dance. In this way, the Mizo people delight the departed souls and carry forward the customs and traditions to their next generation.

4. Pawl Kut Festival

Farming is the most prized possession for the tribal people of Mizoram. The Pawl Kut festival is one such festival which is the celebration of the harvesting season but, the festival has an interesting story attached to it. The Pawl Kut festival was first recorded in the 15th century. During the 18th century, Mizoram faced a severe drought that lasted for three years. The people of Mizoram were majorly dependent on their cultivation of the fields, so they prayed to the rain god to show them some respite and shower their lands with rain. The farmers’ prayers were listened to by the rain god, and there was a huge downpour in Mizoram during the December month. The Mizo people then decided to devote the first produce from their lands to the god. The practice was then kept as a tradition, and the month of December is celebrated as the Pawl Kut Festival. In this way, the Pawl Kut festival is celebrated in Mizoram for three centuries. The Pawl Kut festival is a celebration with full glory and zeal, as the Mizo people wear their traditional attire and celebrate the festival with music and traditional folk dance.

5. Khuado Kut Festival

The Khuado Kut festival is another famous festival in Mizoram which is celebrated to thank the almighty for blessing the people with a bountiful harvest. The term Khuado is a combination of two words; Khua means nighttime or darkness, and Do means to defend ourselves. So collectively, the term Khuado means an occasion where the villagers fight back the devil to bring another year of a good harvest. The people of Mizoram celebrate the Khuado festival with complete glee and extravagant meals to enjoy with friends and families. The village chief generally organizes the Khuado Kut festival, and once the event is announced, the villagers from every household get ready to collect the bark of the pine tree for the lighting purpose as the festival is celebrated during the moonlight. During the Khuado Kut festival, each Mizo light torch to ward off the evil spirit from their homes and farming lands. The festival is celebrated with dance and playing musical instruments like gongs, drums, and cymbals.

6. Thalfavang Kut Festival

The Thalfavang festival is another one of the famous harvesting festivals celebrated in Mizoram. The Thalfavang festival is celebrated after the weeding of the land is done for the forthcoming harvesting season. The festival is celebrated with traditional dance and folk music and is organized to promote the tourism of Mizoram. During the festival, various exhibitions are organized by the Mizo tribe to exhibit their traditional handmade crafts, handlooms, flower shows, antique jewellery, and war weapons. The Thalfavang Kut festival is celebrated during November month, and the Mizo tribal people from across the state come together to celebrate the festival with complete joy and enthusiasm.

There are so many reasons to visit the beautiful state of the seven sisters of India. There are a lot of hidden and unexplored places to visit in Mizoram, the divine cuisine that the state has to offer, the majestic views of the mountains, the lush green landscapes, picturesque lakes and valleys, and many more. Explore Veena World’s Mizoram tour packages and book your travel itinerary to the beautiful paradise if you want to experience the cultural relevance of Mizoram.