Essence of Gaan-Ngai
Spread the teachings of Tingkao Ragwang to promote peaceful coexistence (Tingkuradin 2025:33)
- Part 2 -

Dr Budha Kamei *

Chaopok Kabui Gaan Ngai Festival at Chaopok Kabui village, Thoubal District on 12th January 2025 :: Pix - Lamdamba Oinam

Buhkaomei: After the completion of Raren Loumei ceremony, the village elders return at the Peikai with a Hoi procession where a priest holding a big cock and performs Buhkaomei, calling of the soul invoking Tingkao Ragwang to extend protection to the people of the village from death and danger and provide welfare to the village and its people. The pieces of cooked chicken will be distributed to every household of the village.

Thei-Kadimei: In the festival, Thei-Kadimei, ritual farewell is given to the persons who died in the previous year in the form of parting meal provided by concerned family to his/her friends. It is believed that the departed soul does not leave the village until the parting meal is over. The grave is beautified and drinks and eatables are also placed on it as a way of sharing the meal with him or her. It may be interpreted as a farewell banquet– a send off one who is unwilling to go at the termination of which the deceased is formally but firmly shown the door. Therefore, Gaan-ngai is the festival of both the living and dead.

Joupan Keimei: A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid (milk or other fluid such as rice) as an offering to a god. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in various cultures today. In Gaan-ngai festival, every rite is concluded by offering of holy wine to Tingkao Ragwang, Ditingmei, Kaipi Bambu, Kaiba Bambu, Kairao for well being and prosperity and propitiation of wine to evil spirits not to give trouble to men.

Cultural activities

Festival competitions include various forms of contests such as drum beating, singing, dance etc. In Gaan-ngai festival, the boys and girls of the dormitories perform various types of dance and music.

Dance (Laam)

Dancing is not solely a human invention, as birds and monkeys also engage in dance. It is perhaps one of the earliest forms of human expression of joy. As societies became more organized, different types of dances were created for various occasions.

During community festivals, people celebrate with merriment, feasting, dancing, and singing. Typically, unmarried boys and girls wear colorful traditional attire while actively participating in these activities. It is believed that dances have a divine origin, as they were learned from the gods. Most folk dances feature simple steps, such as walking, hopping, skipping, and whirling, while others exhibit more intricate patterns.

The dances performed in the Gaan-ngai festival are also known as Chapa Laam. They are Khangbon Kadi Laam, farewell dance to Khangbon (leader of the Khangchu), Thei Kadi Laam, dance in honor of the dead, Tamchan Laam, Tuna Kadimei Laam (farewell dance to a bride), Pazeimei, dance waving of sash etc.

Dances like Laophun, Laoreo, Laotai, Laodi Laam etc demonstrate the movement of hand depicting the seed sowing, weeding, cutting of paddy plants and harvest are included in the Chapa Laam. Man learns from nature the form of dancing based on the movements of birds, animals and insects.

Dances of imitation of animals and insects are Gaa Laam, crab dance, Khoiguna Laam, bee mating dance, Kit Laam, cricket dance, Raengdai Laam, dance of hornbill, Goichei Bang Laam, the dance of movement of the horn of the bull, Apang Laam, huluk (monkey) dance of plucking fruits, Tareng Laam, spinning dance etc. All the festival dances are accompanied by relevant songs and musicals instruments like drum, cymbals, gong etc.

Folk song (Lu)

The folk songs are at the heart of Zeliangrong culture and are believed to have a divine origin. It is said that these songs were adopted from those sung by the gods. They express a range of human experiences, including love, hardship, hope, frustration, and victory. Festival songs, known as Chapa Lu, play an important role in cultural festivities.

During the festival, a singing competition takes place at night between girls and boys, where no song is repeated by any singer. Additionally, some boys travel around the village, singing songs that praise the strength and courage of their community. Families in the village host these participants, providing drinks as a form of entertainment. This tradition is referred to as Kairong Lonmei, which means guarding the village.

Drum beating (Khong Baimei)

In addition, they perform various types of traditional drumming, known as Khong Baimei, and play the harp, called Rah Jaimei, during the festival. The lifestyle of the people is reflected in their diverse dance forms, costumes, songs, and different styles of drumming.

Customary Activities

Rites of passage, in the form described by Arnold Van Gennep, mark the transition from one life stage to the next. They may be given special relevance by being part of a festival event. These may include forms of initiation into age groups, such as childhood, youth, adulthood, and initiation into occupational, military, or religious groups.

(i) The transition from childhood to adolescence varies from society to society. In Kabui society, when a child reaches the age of fourteen or fifteen years old, he or she is introduced to the particular dormitory.

The initiation rite is performed at the festival of Gaan-ngai in which a piece of meat known as Janphop will be given to him or her by the leader of the particular dormitory as formal recognition of its member.

This is called Khangchu Kailu Thaimei. Initiation is one who has entered the stream of wider and deeper consciousness. It is a rite which separates the boy or girl from the sexual world and incorporated into the world of sexuality. Traditionally, after initiation, a boy or girl is considered as physically and socially matured person because he or she has the capability of reproduction.

(ii) Promotion of boys and girls from minor to major status.

(iii) Promotion from khangbon to Gaanchang, Gaanchang to Banja and filling up of vacant posts of Pei, village council. These posts are not given by resolution or appointment order but by songs, dances and cultural activities

(iv) Newly married women are formally admitted to Mathenmei Kaibang, women institution and become members of the same.

Games and Sports

Festival usually includes rites of competition, which often constitute in the form of games. Even if games are commonly defined as competitions regulated by special rules and with uncertain outcome (as opposed to ritual, the outcome of which known in advance), the logic of festival is concerned with the competition and the awards for winner; the rule of the game are canonic, and its paradigm is ritual.

The parts or roles are assigned at the beginning to the persona as equals and undifferentiated “contestants,” “hopefuls,” “candidates.” Then the development and the result of the game create among them a final hierarchical order- either binary (winners and losers) or by rank from first to last. Games show how equality may be turned into hierarchy. Athletic or competitive sporting events include individual or collective games of luck, strength, or ability.

These have been considered a corruption of older plays of ritual combats with fixed routine and obligatory ending. In their functional aspects, such games may be seen as display and encouragement of skills such as strength, endurance, and precision, required in daily work and military occupations; such was for instance the rationale of medieval mock battles.

In their symbolic aspect, festival competitions may be seen as a metaphor for the emergence and establishment of power, as when the winner takes all or when the winning faction symbolically takes over arena, or the city in triumph.

On the first day of the festival towards evening, at the Daanshanpung, village jumping ground, the young boys perform Taophai Danchammei, competition in stone throwing and long jump in the presence of the villagers. These sports will be introduced by the Nampou or Nampei with a sort of religious hymns for wellbeing and prosperity of the village.

The winners of the sports are not given prizes but they are required to pay Shon (fees) for declaring and acknowledging his power and ability. Stone throwing is believed to make the heavenly granary’s door break.

Long jump on the other hand is believed to make the swelling of earth made by the jump which is equivalent to distribution of paddy for mankind. Therefore, the purpose of stone throwing and long jump during the Gaan-ngai festival is to get plentiful harvest.

Maintenance of Good Behavior

Discipline is strictly enforced by the elders for young boys and girls. A practice known as the "issuance of the whip," locally referred to as Thingngun Kadimei, takes place at the Khangchu. The aim of this practice is to teach boys to obey the commands of the elders and to fulfill the tasks assigned to them. As part of this customary practice, a nominal beating is arranged for the boys to serve as a reminder for them to pay close attention to their work.

Young boys often plead with the elders, offering a bottle of wine in hopes of being spared from the whipping. If their request is accepted, they may be exempted from the punishment. The girls’ dormitory has a similar practice.

When boys are to be whipped, a junior Gaanpi typically handles the whip, while in the girls’ dormitory, a twisted cloth known as Pheilaak is used by Tunapi. This clearly illustrates the authority that elders hold within the community and emphasizes the respect that is required to be given to them.

Peace and Harmony

The worship of Tingkao Ragwang and the communal meal, known as Jeigan-tumei, are important aspects of the festival, serving to preserve and promote unity, love, and brotherhood within the community. The unity of the community is recognized as a key element of festival participation.

Traditionally, the participatory actions during the Gaan-ngai festival provide the Zeliangrong people with platforms to express and shape their ideas about identity, religion, social relations, and a sense of belonging.

Conclusion

Culture encompasses the way of life of a social group, including all man-made aspects of their environment—both material and non-material—that are passed down from one generation to the next. The Gaan-ngai festival exemplifies these two aspects of culture. It serves as an extension of the religious beliefs and practices of the community, featuring rites and rituals that involve the entire village.

The worship of Tingkao Ragwang, the Zeliangrong pantheon of gods, village deities, the goddess of paddy, and ancestors is prominently reflected during this festival. Gaan-ngai represents a unique cultural phenomenon and an aesthetic expression of the Zeliangrong’s ancient religion and philosophy. As a multifaceted cultural event, it showcases artistic talents and physical strength through martial arts, dance, and music.

Socially, Gaan-ngai fosters peace and unity within families and the broader community. The festival provides an opportunity for people to resolve disputes and misunderstandings. Therefore, Gaan-ngai plays a vital role in sustaining Zeliangrong religion and culture.

Concluded.....