Manipuri in Myanmar
- Part 5-

By: Mutua Bahadur *

Festivals

Myanmarese Manipuri celebrate yearly Hindu festivals like Radha Jatra, Gocerdhan Puja, Shivaratri, Durga Puja etc. Manipuri-Kates by the Ningthi river celebrate Rathajatra and Doljatra also. Myanmareses have come to call Doljatra as "Takdemkyut". Every year they celebrate 'Cheiraoba'(Manipuri New Year).

Cheiraoba is known as 'takulat' by the Myanmarese. There was a tradition of offering Ras (a classical dance form) at some parts of Mandalay after the Second World War. A one-day celebration for Yumjao Lairembi is performed in the months of May-June at Gaave village. This village is known as Yekyi pauk by the Myanmarese

Festival of dieties

In 2004 the festival of Nongpok Ningthou and Panthoibi (dieties) started for the first time in September at Nandawase (a township inhibated by Myanmarese Manipuri Buddist who can no longer speak Manipuri) invoking by the souls of the dieties out of water by a maibi (priestess). There is a one-day festival of Yumjao Lairembi at Gaave village.

One or two days ahead of the festival, there is a renovation programme like cleaning dust particles and leaves from the roof, white washing the walls and cleaning the surrounding area of the temple. One day ahead of the festival, a small shed constructed out of wood, leaf of coconut and bamboo poles is put up to act as a sun-shade. The door of the temple will

be kept open since early morning on the day of the festival. Women and girls will bring athenpot (foodstuff for offering to deities) along with garlands of jasmine to the temple. Garlands and artificially-arranged flower pots are brought and kept inside the temple. A group of instrumentalists will remain playing at one side of the festival area from early morning.

After visiting the laibung (open space for lai-haraoba festival) the maibi (priestess) prays to the deity and then will face it as if she is dancing without hand movements. Then, the maibi will be decorated with garlands by the villagers. They will pray to her. In return the maibi grants good wishes to the villagers. The village girls come to the laibung decorating their heads with garlands of white jasmine.

A procession consisting of village girls, bachelors and elders will go to the Ninge river led by the maibi. Persons who accompany the maibi consists of a married woman with foodstuffs for offering to the deity, two men carrying two pots (with base) with single bunch of flowers, two men having swords in their hands, two men holding two coiled sacred ropes in theirs hands. Instrumentalists will follow.

When they arrive at the Ninge river bank, the maibi goes down into the water until it reaches her waist and she will remain floating on the water for about fifteen minutes. While floating on the water her two hands will remain folded and the two arms will spread out again. After this incident of floating on the water, she resumes the former position and then she will touch the flower pots on the water and hand them over to the two men.

This act of touching the flower pots with the water of the river shows the invocation of the sacred souls of Lainingthou and the Lairembi (male and female deities). In continuation, the maibi takes one sword at a time and starts chopping the water starting from the left side and continuing upto the right side. The two swords are believed to be the chakthang sword of the Mangang clan.

This chopping of the water by the swords is a kind of ritual performed to drive out all the evil spirits belonging to the different directions. After that the maibi will throw those athenpot (foodstuff for offering to the deities) on the water after taking them from the married woman. They are offered as foodstuffs

for evil spirits and demons. Some of the boys coming for the lai-loukhatpa (calling up of the spirit / soul of the deity from the river) are found jumping into the water and will compete among themselves to collect the athenpot. Then those picked up parts of the athenpot may be taken to the laibung.

Before the maibi is again on the land, she will finally dip the two sacred ropes into the water one by one and return them into the hands of the girls. The procession led by the maibi will go back to the laibung having two rows - each one holding one of the sacred ropes lengthwise and they are taken to represent Lainingthou and Lairembi.

The right row represents Lainingthou and the left one is for the Lairembi. The instrumentalist will follow them. The two ropes carried by the girls symbolize the concept of conveying the sacred souls of Lainingthou and Lairembi.

After reaching the laibung the two flower pots, the two swords brought by the men and the ropes brought by the girls will be placed inside the temple. The ceremony for lai haraoba will come to a close after the maibi dance in trance. The ceremony for lai haraoba will come to a close after the maibi dances in trance.

There's no tradition for giving prophecy while in trance unless someone ask her to do so. Besides, there's no tradition of using sharik (small bell) as she goes on giving prophecy. However, it could be possible that there was a tradition of using bells. The reason for using bells in the past is proved by the presence of a lot antiques that are kept inside the temple's basket. At present, there's no tradition of singing hymns related with the deities.

Some Kate-Paonas of nearby area even don't know what songs are to be sung during the festival of lai haraoba. As such they will sing songs related with Radha-Krishna.

See a gallery photo of Manipur and Myanmar here.

To be continued ....

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Mutua Bahadur

* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on April 21, 2011.