Chapchar Kut, the most celebrated and colourful festivals of the Mizo is celebrated every year in the month of March.
This colourful traditional festival is deeply rooted in the agricultural activities of the people and is celebrated to mark the arrival of spring, a time when nature begins to wake up from the winter slumber, displaying its colours again.
Often regarded as one of the oldest festivals of Mizoram, the ocassion marks the cutting down of trees and old vegetation to prepare the land for jhum or seasonal farming. This is the period during which they wait for the chopped down trees to dry under the sun before being burnt, and this process is termed as Chapchar. On this festival, people would gather to celebrate the occasion with feasts, dances and singing.
Today, Chapchar remains the only Mizo traditional festival still celebrated with enthusiasm and fervour. It is declared by the government as a state holiday and people observe it by wearing traditional clothes and attending the celebrations organized by the government, YMA and other organisations.
