Mizo youth dancing 'Chhiehlam' accompanied group singing and sound produced by beating of the drum or clapping of hands at Chapchar Kut festival.
Chhiehlam is a dance that embodies the spirit of joy and exhilaration. It is performed to the accompaniment of a song called 'Chheih hla'. People squat around in a circle on the floor, sing to the beat of a drum or bamboo tube while a pair of dancers stand in the middle, recite the song and dance along with the music.
Today 'Chheihlam' is performed on any occasion with colorful costumes, normally in the evening when the day's work is over.
Chapchar Kut is celebrated by the local people of Mizoram in the month of March every year. During the seven whole days of Chapchar Kut the Mizoram people engross themselves into an infinite aura of mirth and merriment. As one of the oldest festivals in Mizoram Chapchar Kut has a distinctive identity.
Dance and music competitions are an integral part of the Chapchar Kut festival in Mizoram. The various tribal communities inhabiting the land of Mizoram perform the local dances wearing colorful dress apparels. It is said that in the ancient times Chapchar Kut was celebrated by the local inhabitants by indulging in drinking sessions. However, with the passage of time the focus of Chapchar Kut has been shifted to music.
The folk music of Mizoram plays a vital role in providing a rejuvenating look to the Chapchar Kut festival. Since the tribal youths of Mizoram are blessed with melodious vocal chords, hence the music performances during Chapchar Kut are the prime attractions of the festival.
Source: mapsofindia.com
According to http://mizoram.nic.in/about/dances, " Khuallam: Khuallam literary means 'Dance of the Guests'. It is a dance usually performed in the ceremony called 'Khuangchawi'. In order to claim a distinguished place in the society and to have a place in paradise or Pialral one has to attain the coveted title of 'Thangchhuah'. There are two ways of attaining this title.
Firstly one could attain the title Thangchhuah by proving one's mettle in war or in hunting by killing many animals which should include animals like barking,deer, wild boar, bear, wild gayal, viper, hawk etc.Secondly one could also get the title of Thangchhuah by performing feats and dances. Thangchhuah therefore could be attained only by the brave or by the rich. The ceremonies performed in the second method are known as Khuangchawi.
Guests invited from the other villages at the Khuangchawi ceremony enter the arena dancing Khuallam. Traditional hand woven Mizo cloth known as Puandum is wrapped over the shoulders and the dance is performed by swaying the cloth. Puandum has the colors black, red, yellow and green stripes. Significantly Puandum is an indispensable item which every girl has to take along with when she gets married. It is used when her husband dies to cover the dead body. As most other folk dances of the Mizos, this dance is accompanied by a set of gongs known as Darbu and no song is sung. It is generally performed in large numbers."
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