Ningol Chakkouba Festival

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About Ningol Chakkouba Festival:

The festival is held every year on the second day of the lunar month of Hiyangei of the Meitei calendar.
The festival is mainly celebrated by the Meiteis but nowadays many other communities also have started to celebrate it as it emphasises the importance of happiness and reunion of a family in bringing peace and harmony in a society.
Ningol means ‘married woman’ and Chakouba means ‘invitation for feast’; so the festival is the one where the married women are invited to their parents’ home for a feast.
The main component of the festival is the visit of married sisters to their maternal homes for grand feast and joyous reunion followed by giving away the gifts.
It is customary for the son of the family to extend a formal invitation to his sister for Ningol Chakkouba a week before the gathering. The festival is held today outside Manipur where Manipuris are settled.

Key facts about the Meitei Community

They are the predominant ethnic group of Manipur State.
Language: They speak the Meitei language (officially called Manipuri), one of the 22 official languages of India and the sole official language of Manipur State.
Distribution:
- The Meiteis primarily settled in the Imphal Valley region in modern-day Manipur, though a sizable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.
- There is also a notable presence of Meitei in the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Clans: They are divided into clans, the members of which do not intermarry.
Economy: Rice cultivation on irrigated fields is the basis of their economy.

Q1: What is Ethnicity?

It refers to the identification of a group based on a perceived cultural distinctiveness that makes the group into a “people.” This distinctiveness is believed to be expressed in language, music, values, art, styles, literature, family life etc.

News: Ningol Chakkouba Festival Celebrated With Religious Fervor And Gaiety Across Manipur