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Yarra significantly, is the time where boys wear flower on their ear invariably to test the fate of their settling down. It is believed that the flower petal on whose ear was found withering earlier than others will be the first to get married. Women does not wear flower on their ears as an embellishment, rather it is the man folk which sports flowers on their ears during festival season. Though the popularity of the practice declined, it is still prevalent to this day. Community fishing called ‘Yarkhai kakhai’ where a time is taken out from the continuous merriment at home into the country also marks the festival. Youth carried green stalks and leaves goes around singing love songs deep in the night.
“Yarkhai kakhai” Community fishing during yarra festival.
Though Yarra is celebrated in almost all the Tangkhul villages, the timing vary from place to place according to their convenience, however every village has a fixed date for the celebration. The northern villages of Ukhrul District celebrate the spring festival earlier as compared to Ukhrul. Again, Hundung village and those villages located west and south of Ukhrul celebrate the festival later. Feasting and drinking rice beer is common during Yarra celebration.
Christian Churches have been severely critical of modern day, Yarra celebrations due to random abuse of intoxicants, a situation similar everywhere, and had even initiated an attempt to ban the spring festival.
The Tangkhul used bamboo cups to serve drinks. The jars made of dry gourd shells were used as containers. (Photo: Tonchuiphy A. Shimray)
Some village Christianity has totally uprooted the indigenous culture; the spring festival is celebrated as Glory Day now a days. In the last century, Christian wave totally uprooted the indigenous Tangkhul culture in most villages and the spring festival was banned as a pagan practice leaving aside the intrinsic element of culture and festival. (Photo: Mayaso Shongzan)
Yarra community fishing folk song Khairi kashao |
