The Biggest Festival of Bishnupriya Manipuri: Bishu

By Rebati Mohan Sinha

The ‘Bishu’ is the biggest festival of Bishnupriya Manipuri, celebrated from the last day of the month of Chaitra for five days and it is basically a new year celebration where we are bidding a farewel to the old year and welcoming the new, with great enthusiasm, hoping the new year will bring happiness to each of our Bishnupriya Manipuri family.

Now if some one ask me the meaning of word ‘Bishu’, I may not be able to answer; instead describe the activities going on during the festival. The preparations are afoot at least 15 days before the celebration i.e storing of enough rations, including fire wood so that one should not ask anything (borrowing)from the neighbours during the festivity period. Borrowing is considered to be ‘o shubo’.

There are so many Do’s and Don’t’s to be followed before and during the festivity. On the first day of the festival, each Bishnupriya Manipuri house-hold clean the house, specially kachcha floors(ghor-mankol), with a mixture of mud and cow-dung and later a bucket of cow-dung water sprinkled around the house including the courtyard(uthaan ). The women folk of the house,then getting ready with preparation of different dishes with excess quantities for distribution to even far flung neighbours.

Now the turn of taking bath either in river or pond, one has to follow what elders say,i.e facing the current of the river, throwing a small branch of neem tree over his/her head and take a dip. The head of the family, then take the bhog to the pre-determined place to offer his ancestors, believed to be wandering in the heaven, and in turns ask blessing from them so that the new year is promising to be a prosperous one.

There are plenty of games / activities planned for the entire duration of festivity, like ‘Uthaane Gilla khelani’ among ima-indol(ladies) in the evening, followed by playing ‘dus-pochis’ on the mats spread ( chataai or paatee) either on uthaan or in big varandah(mankol). Apart from this, there are inter-village competition arranged for full night dus-pochis, followed by stealing of milk from cows and buffaloes to prepare kheer next day to celebrate the loosing/wining, inviting the elders,even the victimised owners of the cows/buffloes.The friedly game of foot ball also arranged between elders and youngsters in the villages along with other games.

During the festivity period, no member of the family is allowed to go for ploughing or cutting of any plants and at the same time not to quarrel with any one, rather have good relation.

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