Ukhrul, October 07 2017: The uniqueness of the Halang Youth Festival lies in the fact that this is the only festival of the Tangkhul community where a single girl is named to host the festival every year at this time of the year, when October is picnic season in Ukhrul.
Halang village youth celebrate the festival annually in the name of a local flower called Maitheiwon “festival of flowers” in the first week of October during the full bloom of the flower .
The flower festival can only be hosted by a responsible village girl, while the other youths contribute through subscription/chip in money from their own pocket for the festival .
This year, village lass Wungshimla Chamroy hosted the youth flower festival.
It is a three day celebration and this year it was from held from October 4 to 6 .
It is mandatory for participants to wear the flower garland and anyone not wearing the garland is not allowed to join the festival .
Competition in cooking, singing, dancing, personality development make up the crux of the festival .
The youth would gather in an open space and perform a traditional dance, where all have to follow in a systematic pattern.
All visitors and guests are welcome to the merry making.
The village youth are divided into different peer groups for the competition .
According to them, anyone who has been baptized is considered a youth .
Youth gather and march through the village singing the traditional song “Yangyir laa.”
The dinner is hosted lavishly, while night time is entertainment programme .
Halang village youth have been celebrating the festival for more than 74 years.
Source: The Sangai Express
