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 the 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 parent’s home for a feast.
- The main component of the festival is the visit of married sisters to their maternal homes for a grand feast and joyous reunion followed by the 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 in advance of 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.
