Yaoshang festival celebrated in Manipur

Imphal, March 16 : Manipur’s greatest festival-Yaoshang has come to an end on Thursday with various forms of merry making activities and sports extravaganza in localities level across the state particularly in the valley areas. As the celebration of the festival, which commences on full moon day (March 12), continues at their respective localities or villages, Imphal town and almost all roads leading to the State capital wore a deserted look for the continuous fifth day on Thursday. Even the Government normally declares holiday for two days till March 13 (for Yaoshang Pichkari), the attendance in the Government offices are reportedly poor.March 12 was Sunday. Imphalites and other living in the State had been witnessing the colourful annual festival as youngsters sprayed (coloured) water each others as well as passersby, elders and older also plays pichkaris at the Shree Shree Gobindajee Temple while some organise grand feasts at different levels and different capacities. The people in the valley had been listening to the sound of pipers and beating of drums in the night as the young ones continues to perform Thabal Chongba, a Manipuri folk dance where boys and girls form a circle and hold hands and sing and dance, at their respective localities. Donations are collected from house to house and the passersby and the money collected is spent on parties, merry making and in organising games and sports activities in every localities or colonies. With the changing times, sports meet in connection with the Yaoshang festival has become an inseparable part of the Manipuri society. Even the 300 plus journalists community under All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union organised 7th edition of Yaoshang sports meet. As a result In other words, the Yaoshang sports help in creating the desire to pursue a career in sports in a tiny state of Manipur which hardly has a population of only 0.3% of India’s population.