Chizami Za (Day) celebrated amid fanfare

Chizami (Phek), Jan 11 2015 (NEPS):

Various cultural and traditional items sown during Chizami Za (Day) at Chizami Local Ground under Nagaland's Phek district on January 8, 2015. Pix by NEPS News

For the first time, a grand Chizami Za (Day) has been celebrated with pomp and gaiety on January 8 here at the Chizami Local Ground under Phek district. Around four thousand villagers and families of those who married to other non-Chizamians attended the spectacular “Chizami Za” celebration organized under the theme “Recognizing history, celebrating the present, inspiring the future.”

Rich traditional songs and dances, cultural items, Music, Indigenous Games, Sports, Education and Religious Ceremonies, war preparation show and other cultural items like Lorhi Ketshe and Makru Kefu dominated the Chizami Za celebration. There were also highlights of colorful extravaganza of Arts and Crafts, Food, Flowers, Attires, and Sales during the celebration.

Speaking on the occasion, Lhiwepelo Mero, Retd Director, Agriculture, urged the people of Chizami to learn how to live on their own feet. “Let us not be beggars or depend on others to live,” he said and further asserted that nothing was too small to do.

Various cultural and traditional items sown during Chizami Za (Day) at Chizami Local Ground under Nagaland's Phek district on January 8, 2015. Pix by NEPS News

Calling emphatically upon the Chizamians to work to be independent, Mero also stated that they should not depend for everything on politics. “Give your best in whatever field you are by putting your full trust in God,” he added.

He called upon the Chizami men to love their wives, while encouraging the Chizami women married to non-Chizamians to love their husbands. “So that together we can make Chizami a model village,” he added.

Various cultural and traditional items sown during Chizami Za (Day) at Chizami Local Ground under Nagaland's Phek district on January 8, 2015. Pix by NEPS News

On behalf of all the in-laws, Oken Jeet Sandham, Editor of the NEPS News and president of Muaythai Federation of India, who married a Chizamian, delivered greetings on the occasion. He called upon the Chizamians that they should give up the hedonistic lifestyles and must learn not only how to live independently but also try to know what their counterparts had been doing and how the world was going on. “We must know how to choose a good and capable leader in order to bring changes in the village,” he said.

“Politics can never thrive when we remain aloof from the people and grassroots people.”

Oken Jeet Sandham also assured the Chizamians that wherever they were, they would always see that the welfare of the people of the Chizami would be given top priority in whatever capacity they could.

Various cultural and traditional items sown during Chizami Za (Day) at Chizami Local Ground under Nagaland's Phek district on January 8, 2015. Pix by NEPS News

In his welcome address, Kewepelo Tsuhah, Chairman, Village Council Chizami, said the Chizami Za was a time to inspire the future and called upon the people to give their best to the younger generation who would be their future pillars.

The significance of Chizami Za is to preserve, promote and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and social dynamics of Chizami Village. It is also to renew and build family ties, friendships and unity through bringing together every Chizami citizen, in-laws and well-wishers settled across the State and beyond.

For visitors it means a closer understanding of the people and culture of the village in particular and Chakhesang Nagas at large, and an opportunity to experience the food, songs, dances and customs of its people.

Chizami Day has been organized under the aegis of the Chizami Village Council and it will be celebrated after every 5 years.