Ukhrul, Feb 15: Phungcham Luita Phanit, the seed-sowing festival has begun with much fanfare and colorful vibrancy. Celebrated under the theme “Nurturing the Future, Planting Today,” the inaugural program was attended by Wungpam Raikhan, Social Worker (Retd. Engineer, CPWD) as chief guest and Chinaongai Yangya, Retd. MPS as the guest of honor.
Speaking at the occasion, Wungpam Raikhan stated, “I have visited many places and Phungcham is one village which continues to nurture its culture and tradition. This will go a long way in preserving our heritage. I see a lot of difference in how Phungcham maintains its history and practices. In many places, we see festive celebrations to attract tourists, but in our case, it is not. We can promote tourism through our cultural festival and enhance our way of living.”
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The villagers of Phungcham accorded a warm welcome to the dignitaries with colorful traditional attires. Spearheads – a group of youth from Phungcham led in escorting the dignitaries clad in traditional spears and Hao-Kuiret. Locals display Thingrei-Khangahei, otrei kaphung folk song and other traditional items.
Luita Phanit is celebrated before ploughing and preparing the soil for the seeds to be sown. It is an important festival for the Tangkhul community. There is no specific date for this festival. Some villages celebrated Luita Phanit as early as January end and some villages celebrated as late as middle of February.
In the past, the festival was considered sacred, however today it is celebrated as a reflection on the ideas, customs, and social practices of our forefathers. Some of the ways or practices of the ancestors may be authoritative and may not carry scientific explanation but it was a way of their life.
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Luita Phanit offered a sense of belonging for spiritual, religious, social, or geographical groups, contributing to group solidarity. Cultural festivals are the symbol of synergy, cooperation, and teamwork. The festivals provide members of the community with opportunities to engage in socialization, entertainment, and the establishment of social networks, thus contributing to the enhancement of community solidarity.
The festival will wind up on 18 February 2025, where the locals will compete in various items like folk dance, a folk song in Yarnao wise and items like kazei kaphar, thang pheitat, saipong, seipeng khangakhun, act play and choreography in locality wise.
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