The Pawl Kut in Mizoram is a vivid harvest festival that is accompanied with ballet, songs and cheerfulness. Pawl Kut festival lasts for two days in Mizoram. A grand feast with meat and egg is a customary practice followed by every household of Mizoram during the festival. The tribes in the ancient ages used to go out on hunting spree to collect meat. Pawl Kut involves dancing, singing and merriment by the villagers. The rice beer known as Zu is consumed by all the people. Pawl Kut is one of the main harvest festivals of Mizoram.
History of the Pawl Kut Festival
There is a historical blend to the Pawl Kut Festival. In the earliest times, the Mizos had been residing in the eastern part of the Tiau River.
Once upon a time the Mizos faced a strong challenge because for the three successive years where there was no rain and the fields were completely dry and inept of producing crops. So, they asked for the consents of God who listened to their request and send them rain. In that year there was plentiful crop. Men of Mizoram rejoiced the heaven with wonderful zeal and enthusiasm. From here the Pawl Kut Festival in Mizoram emerged.
Celebration of the Pawl Kut Festival
The fascinating part of this ceremony is the widespread meal consisting of meat and egg.
Chawnghnawt is a trait of this festival. Chawnghnawt is a ritual where the mother and her children to sit on a memorial platform. While the mother feed her kids with meat and egg preparations as the child does the same. The origin of Pawl Kut is interesting. When the people had inhabited the land on the eastern corner of river Tiau, famine occurred for three years. However in the fourth year there was a very good crop yield and people considered it as blessing of the God. The people offered their gratitude to the Almighty, thereby initiating the tradition of Pawl Kut festival.