Sawm Kivah or Sawm Juneh (Feast):
Under the present system, some boys sleep together in different houses, where there are girls who are at the back and call of the boys. They live so closely with the family of the girls that they become almost identified as being members of the family of the girls.
The boys of one particular ‘Sawm’ help the family of the girl in all possible ways, even in the matter of cultivation when the family members of the girl fail to complete it in time. When there occurs a feast of the Lawm of the village, the girl and the boys of her ‘Sawm’ go together taking care of each other during the feast.
Sometimes it so happens that the girl becomes inebriated by over-drinking of rice-beer. In such a situation, all the boys of the ‘Sawm’ take special care for her and bring her home safely. Likewise, the girl takes care of the boys. Even the parents and other members of the family regard the boys as part of their family.
With the passage of time, a stage came when most of the ‘Sawm’ members grew up. Some of them pursued diverse interests. Some had grown enough to fall in love with some other girls. Even the ‘Sawm’ girl had fallen in love either with a boy other than her own ‘Sawm’ members or with one of the ‘Sawm’ members.
They felt that time had come to part company and that the ‘Sawm’ be disbanded. Under such circumstances, they considered that it was best
to have a farewell party provided the parents of the girl gave consent to the proposal.
When such a situation arose, the question of ‘Sawm Kivah’, meaning thereby a feast of the ‘Sawm’ cropped up for consideration. When such a ‘Sawm Kivah’ is proposed, the members of one particular ‘Sawm’, the number of which varies between ten and twelve, discuss the proposal with the parents of a ‘Sawm’ girl. If they agree, a date for it is decided upon and preparations start for the same.
Normally, the young boys buy a small pig which is kept under the charge of the parents of the girl. As the day for such ‘Sawm Kivah’ approaches, the girl of the ‘Sawm’ also requests her close friends to prepare a few pots of ‘Zu’ by way of helping her for the occasion.
Those girls will, in their turn, ask their friends to help them. Thus, a chain of help for preparation of ‘Zu’ for the ‘Sawm Kivah’ is sought. Ultimately almost all the girls of the village are involved in this function. The same is true in the case of the boys of the ‘Sawm’.
Each of the ‘Sawm’ member asks his close friends to join him on the occasion. Ultimately, boys of the whole village are covered. In accepting such invitations each of the boy friend invited contributes one pot of ‘Zu’ on the day.
Finally, it becomes usually the affairs of the whole village, though it is initially thought to be an affair only for a small group of ten or twelve boys[100]. Of course, the particular boy members of the ‘Sawm’ bear the bulk of the expenditure for the occasion.
In the previous evening of the night before the ‘Sawm Kivah’, members of the ‘Sawm’ serve one pot of ‘Zu’ to the parents of the girl wherein the Chief of the village along with his Council of Ministers, the Priest, the ‘Tucha’ and ‘Becha’ relatives of the parents of the girl are invited. The ‘Sawm’ members will request them all to join them in the feast and to extend all possible help to make the occasion a success.
Early, the next morning, the ‘Tucha’ and the ‘Becha’ relatives of the girl’s parents do all the needful101. They take up the entire responsibility for the function. As the meat is cooked, all the invitees are asked to have it to their heart’s content.
But the Chief and his Council of Ministers, the Priest and the father of the girl or, in his place, his ‘Becha Bul’ will take the ‘Sapang’ or the head portion of the pig. In addition to this group of people, another group of the members of the ‘Sawm’, which hosts the feast and their ‘Sawm-Nu’, the girl of the ‘Sawm’, are given a portion of the meat kept apart by the ‘Becha’ of the girl’s parents. The rest of the people take the feast at random, as normal feasting is done, without any formality.
On this day, drinking method of the ‘Zu’ is such that apart from all other pots of ‘Zu’ served on the day, two particular pots are separately kept and these are served at a special place. One of them is the pot contributed by the boys of the ‘Sawm’, who host the feast. The other is the pot contributed by the parents of the girl.
The ‘Zu’ contributed by the boys of the ‘Sawm’ is first sipped by the Chief, followed by the Prtiest and then the father of the girl. Sometimes the mother of the girl is also included in this sipping spree. The style of sipping is that one full bottle of water is the measuring level called ‘Aleng’.
The bottle of water is poured to the pot of ‘Zu’ without ceasing, and whoever sips the ‘Zu’ is made to do so without ceasing until his level of sipping is finished. The level of sipping for the above VIPs is made double of the normal level. The same is done to the other pot of ‘Zu’ offered by the girl’s parents, which is given to the boys of the ‘Sawm’. The order of sipping among the ‘Sawm’ members is that the leader of the ‘Sawm’, called ‘Sawm Upa’, sips first. He is followed by others in order of seniority.
While the ‘Sawm’ members sip, they are tied with a rope on their waist and bound to a place upon the rafter of the building, so that they do not run away being unable to do justice to the level of sipping fixed for them.
Thus, the ‘Zu’ contributed by the parents of the girl is sipped by the boys of the ‘Sawm’ and the girl, while the pot of ‘Zu’ contributed by the boys is sipped by the Chief and his Council of Ministers, the Priest, the father of the girl or his ‘Becha’ simultaneously. All the other pots of ‘Zu’ prepared on that day are served for drinking only and not for sipping.
The next day is meant for the Chief and his Council of Ministers, the Priest and the ‘Tucha and the ‘Becha’ relatives of the Girl’s father. A feast is arranged for them only and the pride of place is given to them by offering the head portion of the slaughtered pig.
In doing so, each of those who had the privilege of eating the ‘Sapang’ brings one jar of ‘Zu’ each. On the other hand, the boys of the ‘Sawm’ who host the feast provide the meat for the day. They may buy another pig or some of their friends may make a gift of some cocks for the purpose.
These are flayed, cooked and eaten along with the leaders who are offered the meat with ‘Zu’ on the day. After the feast, the elders retire. With the approach of the evening, the young boys and girls collect themselves at one place with a view to passing the night in singing and dancing.
On the stipulated third day of the feast, the young boys and girls, belonging to some other ‘Sawm’ would come with gifts of ‘Zu’ and other edibles to help their friends who hosted the feast. In this way, they continue the feast for the third day. On this day, however, the elders do not take part in the feast or in the drinking bout. At the close of this day’s feasting and drinking, the ‘Sawm Kivah’ comes to an end.
Thus, the beginning of gradual dissolution of the old members of the ‘Sawm’, which has hosted the feast, is initiated. On this occasion some of the boy members get betrothed. In case there is a younger sister of the disbanded Sawm girl, the sister continues to care for the remaining junior ‘Sawm’ members who may like to continue in the same ‘Sawm’ where they have so long been junior members, instead of joining some other ‘Sawm’.
It is, therefore, in an entirely different situation that the ‘Sawm’ institution survives today. In view of the fact that the society is changing, most of the boys and girls have started looking for greener pastures of social mobility in the urban areas of the country.
Despite this, the old system of ‘Sawm’ in somewhat decentralized form still survives being bound by customary laws. But among the Lushai Kukis in Mizoram, the institution has been abolished in view of fast changing situation in society.
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to be continued ..
* Priyadarshni M Gangte wrote this article for The Sangai Express .
This article was webcasted on November 25th , 2007 .
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