Yaoshang Festival

About Yaoshang Festival

• The festival is celebrated every year on the full moon of Lamta month (February-March) of the Meitei lunar calendar.
• The festival is celebrated by the Meitei people who are predominantly Hindu.
• It is celebrated at the same time as Holi and is known as ‘Manipur’s version of Holi’.
• The five-day-long celebration begins with the burning of ‘yaoshang’ (a small thatch hut/straw hut) which is constructed with bamboo and straws on the first day
• The highlight of the festival is the ThabalChongba, a traditional Manipuri folk dance where boys and girls hold hands and sing and dance in a circle. 
• The festival marks the rejuvenation of the spirit of life and commemorates the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
• Children visit neighbours to ask for a monetary donation which is called

Who are the Meitei people?

• Meiteis are the dominant population of Manipur in northeastern India. 
• A majority follow Hinduism while more than 8% are Muslims, locally known as
• The Marup system (literally, "friendship association"), a type of cooperative saving and credit institution, is an intriguing aspect of Meitei village's socio-economic organisation.
• They speak a Tibeto-Burman language, they differ culturally from the surrounding hill tribes by following Hindu customs.