Chavang Kut 2021: Here's all you need to know about the harvest festival

The festival of Chavang Kut is being celebrated in Manipur today, 1 November. Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh extended his best wishes on the occasion, adding that he was hopeful that the harvest festival would result in greater peace and brotherhood among the communities residing in the state.Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also took to social media to mark the occasion, wishing a “prosperous harvest” to everyone celebrating the festival.BJP state president Sharda Adhikarimayum took to social media to extend her best wishes for the post-harvest festival, calling it “a reminder of our roots, diversity and to retain and promote the traditional and cultural values”.The state unit of the Congress Party also extended its best wishes on the occasion, calling Chavang Kut one of the biggest festivals in the state.The festival of Chavang Kut or autumn harvest festival is marked by the Chin-Kuki-Mizo community (CHIKIM), being primarily celebrated in Manipur. The Meitei and Naga communities also participate in the celebrations. The festival sees the communities perform their folk dances and songs and show gratitude to the gods for the harvest.The Chavang Kut developed from the week-long harvest festival of Chang (paddy) Kut, with the present state-level Chavang Kut being first celebrated in 1979 in the village of Keithelmanbi.One of the prime attractions of the festival is the Miss Kut beauty pageant contest, with contestants from different communities walking the ramp in their best traditional attire.The festival is seen as an opportunity to promote peace, prosperity, and unity in the state.Chavang Kut is marked as a bank holiday in Imphal, with all lenders remaining shut on the festival.The festival is one of the major harvest festivals that are observed in the region, along with Chapchar Kut, which is marked in the spring season in March, also being celebrated by various communities in the state. Two other festivals to mark significant stages in the agricultural cycle, Mim Kut and Pawl Kut, are also celebrated in the region.