The Tangkhuls have great respect for the dead, which ostensibly
is attributed to the strong belief that there is life after death. For this,
there used to be a special festival ‘Thisham’
celebrated for twelve days in the month of January. The festival was typically
an occasion to bid goodbye to departed souls of the previous year. Thisham was
celebrated in strict adherence to rituals practiced from time immemorial. Folk
dance and folk songs performed during the festival are said to be unique. If
there had been dead in a rich family in the previous year, the family usually acts
as the chief host during the festival.
Each of the twelve days had different activities
dedicated to the memory of the departed souls. The main activities of the
twelve days were.
DAY I: The villagers gather pine torches
for their respective clans and families. The collected pine torches are meant
for taking to the spot where the souls of the departed are believed to come and
light their torches in the evening during the festival. Some of the villagers
also go out to collect bamboo bark to weave ropes for the dead. Firewood is
also collected in bulk on the first day.
DAY
II:
Relatives of those who passed away the previous year gather together to weave
ropes meant to tie the sacrificial animals to be slaughtered during the festival. Leaves for wrapping rice cake for the dead
are also collected on the second day. Indigenous wine and beer are served in
abundance to the workers.
DAY
III:
Animals selected for sacrifice are slaughtered ranging from biggest to the smallest. The list usually included buffalo, mithun,
cow, pig, dog, cat, fowl, etc. The nature of killing the sacrificial animals as
recalled by some aged people used to be slow and painful. Rice cake for the
dead is baked and wine is also brewed on the third day. At the end of the day,
limbs of the slaughtered animals are distributed to the chosen representatives
of the dead persons. The leftovers are shared with relatives and friends.
Families where dead had occurred the previous year used to choose a person each
to be the representative of the dead person during the festival. The selection
was based on some resemblance between the dead person and the one to be the
representative. The resemblance could be facial, nature, character, etc. The
representatives were called ‘Thila Kapho’.
DAY
IV:
People from neighboring villages chosen as representatives arrive to the
village on the fourth day. Traders also turn up with the wares and goods they
intend to sell or exchange during the festival.
DAY VI: Family members and
relatives of individuals who have died invite the representatives to their
homes and feed them as well as shower presents. This was considered as giving
to the persons who have died.
DAY
VII:
If any of the representatives had not been invited home the previous day, they
are invited and are being fed. When evening comes, family members of the dead
person gather at an open space bringing with them plateful of cooked sticky
rice. A whole piece either of the leg or rip of a pig is placed beside the
wooden rice plate. The plate and meat of each family is then given away to the
respective representatives hired by the family of the dead.
The representatives are then
invited home for feasting. When the representatives are fed well and when
darkness descends, people come out from their homes with lighted pine torches
to parade the representatives to the village gate. On reaching the village
gate, farewell words are exchanged. Words such as “It is time to part; we love
you; do not come back; let this be the end for now; may you fare well, etc are
told to the representatives. This is considered as saying to the dead. The
lighted torches are then thrown away. The people then go home. If the
representatives are from the same village, they had to go home via a path
different from the others. However, if they are from neighboring villages, they
either go back to their own village or camp for the night somewhere in the open
field. They are forbidden to go back to the village.
When everyone is back home,
pine torches were lit outside every house. This is to ensure that the souls of
the living do not loiter away along with the dead. The head of the family takes
a sifting basket and called out names of the living members in the family and
beckon to come back home. Falling down or stumbling on this particular day was
considered as a very bad omen. If anyone falls down, a fowl was taken to the
exact spot where the person fell down. The fowl was sacrificed after making its
wings flap as a sign of calling the soul of the person not to follow away with
the dead.
Before retiring for the
night, the villagers gather at their convenient places in the open to check
whether the dead people had come and collected their torches. It is said that
people could really see lines of lit torches moving away slowly. Every village
used to have some spots in a high mountain where lit torches used to be seen.
Shirui narao, Sihai Phangrei and a hillock in Longpi Kajui were the three
places where Hunphun (Ukhrul) people used to watch the dead people moving away
holding lit pine torches.
DAY
VIII:
People are not supposed to move out of the village on this day. This is because
of the belief that the dead who have loitered away from the group could be
lingering around. Since, whatever needed to be given away to the dead have been
given away the previous day, it was believed that the dead could not come back
to ask for more. The day is referred as kazei
kuireo.
DAY
IX:
The day was called festival of the living. As everything has been given away
meant for the dead, the day is dedicated to the living for merry making.
DAY
X:
The day was called ‘vaichum ngakhum.’
Vaichum is a basket where rice beer used to be stored in olden days. The word ‘ngakhum’ means the act of emptying. Thus,
on this day the vaichum, rice beer pots, bamboo mugs used for sharing wine with
the dead are thoroughly washed and made to dry in the sun.
DAY
XI:
This day used to be a special feasting day. Relatives and friends are invited
home for sumptuous feasts.
DAY
XII:
The feasting continues for the second day. Those who have not been invited the
previous day are invited home. This is the day people who have come from the
neighbouring villages too return to their respective villages before the sun
sets.
The festival was discontinued after the advent of Christianity in the
Tangkhul Hills
