Chumpha Festival

The Chumpha Festival is an annual harvest Festival held in the state of Manipur every year.

This Festival is mainly celebrated by the Tanghul Nagas of Manipur, for whom it is one of the most important festivals and they celebrate this festival with great joy, merriment, fun and frolic.

The Festival is celebrated for seven days and a week after the harvest season in December.

During the last three days of the festival, cultural events are organized including dance and music performances. 

These celebrations include gatherings of family and friends for everyone to rejoice and enjoy. As against other festivals where women have a limited role to play and participate, this festival of Chumpa gives them immense roles and responsibilities The end of the Chumpha Festival in Manipur is marked by a procession that is carried out within the village premises.

Manipur as a state is famous for its culture and traditions. There are numerous fairs and festivals held in Manipur throughout different seasons of the year. One very interesting aspect to be noticed regarding the fairs and festivals held here is that although there are different festivals, events for different races and communities, they all are celebrated with equal passion and zeal.

Time of celebration:

Chumpha Festival is an annual harvest Festival which is largely celebrated by the Tanghul Nagas community. The festival is celebrated after the successful harvest in the month of December. Specifically speaking the celebrations is held one week after the harvest season.

Heikru Hitongba

The Festival of Heikru Hitongba is an annual Festival held in the state of Manipur. The festival is always celebrated on the canal in Bijoy Govinda area on eleventh Langban. This festival has a multidimensional significance as apart from being a source of fun and entertainment it also has an associated religious significance to it.

Heikru Hitongba is largely a boat race festival, with the boat race being the most important part and ingredient of the Festival. The race is closely related to the Govindajee Temple. The deities from the temple and the palace are made to supervise the race. The festival is hugely awaited by the localites of the area and is celebrated with great pride and fervor.

The festival is a single day event with the main event being the boat race. Narrow boats are used for this purpose. These boats are able to accommodate a large number of rowers. Not any person wanting to participate can do so, as it requires expertise in rowing the boat. The canal in Bijoy Govinda area is 16 metre wide canal and witnesses maddening rush during the festival time.

The race normally involves teams with huge number of participants, with each team trying to put their level best to win the competition and get good news for their communities. One very famous and widely followed ritual involves installing the idol of Lord Vishnu who is then supposed to preside over the race and smooth running of the festival. The Brahmins give offerings of gold and silver before the presiding deities and idols. Overall the atmosphere is extremely spirited and charged with positivity. All participants and spectators enjoy the race fully and cheer with full gusto.

Time of celebration:

The festival of Heikru Hitongba is celebrated every year in the month of September, ideal to enjoy the boat race.