Naga tribes hold multicolored festival

Tribals celebrated Chavan Kumhrin, a post-harvest festival in Chandel of Indias northeastern Manipur state on Sunday (October 23). The festival represented a confluence of old and new traditions in a creative manner.Preserving the age-old traditions of Anal Naga tribe, the post-harvest festival Chavan Kumhrin was celebrated with fanfare and enthusiasm.The festivals theme was Culture for Unification.We feel very good when our culture is depicted through this festival, said Tina Pradhan, an artiste.Chavan denotes autumn and Kumhrin means New Year, thus Chavan Kumhrin is interpreted as the arrival of autumn season. During the annual festival, the villagers bring part of what they harvest for the blessings of village elders and leaders. This is done for a good harvest, health and prosperity.The festival, which was earlier celebrated only by the Anal tribe, has now become a common festival for all the tribes inhabiting Chandel district.The festival had a display of cultural dances and songs of the various tribes of Chandel including Anal, Lamkang, Chothe, Moyon, Monsang, Zou, Kuki and also the Manipuri traditional Thang.The Chavan Kumhrin in recent years has emerged as a major festival, which evokes unity among the tribes of Nagaland.