Holi, the Manipuri way: Inside state's 5-day Yaoshang festival

In Manipur, spring does not merely arrive—it explodes across five days of colour, rhythm, and ritual. From the first sunrise of Yaoshang, villages awaken to a unique pulse: streets and courtyards throng with children and youth, elders hum ancient devotional songs, and open fields transform into arenas of sport, dance, and laughter.Each day has its own cadence—rituals of devotion, games of skill, dances under the moonlight, and streets alive with the joyous exchange of colours. Unlike elsewhere in India, where Holi may last a day or two, in Manipur the five-day celebration is a structured, communal experience, blending religious reverence, cultural performance, and playful exuberance.Across Manipur’s valleys and foothills, nature mirrors this energy. Mango trees bloom in delicate greenish-white blossoms, hills glimmer under the sun, and fields shimmer with tender greenery. The air carries the faint sweetness of spring, mingling with the sounds of song, laughter, and celebration.For generations, this seasonal revival has coincided with Yaoshang, one of Manipur’s largest and most culturally resonant festivals. Observed from the full moon of Lamta, the 12th month of the Manipuri lunar calendar, Yaoshang does not merely mark the advent of spring—it embodies it. Yaoshang Mei Thaba, Blessings, Nakatheng: The Start of Five Days Of FestivityThe five-day celebration commences with the ‘Yaoshang mei thaba’, burning of the small huts constructed of bamboo and straw across various localities. The ritual is simple yet potent: the hut, representing a sheep shed, is set aflame at sunset, marking the festival’s official commencement. Within the hut rests an image of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, symbolising devotion, care, and the blessing of spring. Devotees make offerings and perform worship before the image is removed, surrendering it to the flames, and with it, ushering in five days of communal celebration.This is followed by the collection of donations by young boys and girls, dressed in their finest attire. During this ritual, the children visit neighbouring homes, offering blessings for success, longevity, and good health, and in return, they receive modest monetary contributions from the households. The children move through the ‘leikai’ in small groups, knocking on gates, calling out cheerfully, and asking for "nakatheng"—modest contributions that help fund the festival’s upcoming festivities.There is laughter, mock arguments, playful refusals, and eventual surrender. Each household contributes, not out of obligation, but a shared sense of belonging, reinforcing community ties and collective participation in the five-day cycle.The festival’s initiation, simple yet profound, sets the tone for what follows: five days of relentless activity, each day more vibrant, each moment more alive than the last. From Bengal To Manipur: How Yaoshang Became Uniquely ManipuriYaoshang is often equated with Holi or is rather seen by scholars as the “indigenisation or localisation” of Holi. But unlike Holi, the celebrations are far beyond just colours or splashing of water, as the Manipuri festival emphasises community bonding, youth engagement in sports, and cultural preservation.The roots of Yaoshang’s present form lie in the adoption and adaptation of Vaishnavism in Manipur. The Chaitanya school of Vaishnavism, originating in Bengal through the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, introduced devotional practices centred on Krishna bhakti.However, the adoption of Vaishnavism in Manipur was never a simple process of religious transplantation. Under King Bhagyachandra in the late 18th century, Vaishnavite traditions underwent localisation, giving rise to a distinct Manipuri Vaishnavism. Temples such as Shree Shree Govindajee and Bijoy Govindajee became central to ritual life. “Yaoshang itself emerged from this synthesis. While inspired by Holi, it became something uniquely Manipuri,” historian and director of Advanced Research Consortium Library and Archives, Wangam Somorjit, told TOI.“This process of indigenisation mirrors patterns seen across Southeast Asia, where religious frameworks were adapted rather than imposed wholesale,” he said.Recently, there have been modern interpretations of Yaoshang tracing its origins to indigenous cosmology, associating it with Meitei deities such as Pakhangba or linking it to pre-Hindu rituals.Yet, scholars caution that such claims lack primary documentary evidence. Much of this interpretation reflects later revivalist efforts to reclaim indigenous identity rather than verifiable historical continuity.“Yaoshang literally means a sheep shed (Yao sheep, shang shed) and the huts made of bamboo and straw, that are being burnt on the first day of Yaoshang at sunset, represent sheep sheds. On the full moon day at sunset, an image of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is kept inside the huts. Devotees make offerings and worship before the image is removed and the huts set on fire, marking the beginning of the Yaoshang festival,” Somorjit said. From Moonlit Dances To Devotional Songs And Community SpiritThe highlights of the festival include Thabal Chongba, Holi Pala, sports at different localities, Lambi thatpa (seeking donations along the road) for organising Thabal Chongba, Shumang Leela among others.‘Thabal Chongba’ is a traditional Manipuri folk dance performed during the Yaoshang festival. Participants form circular formations, holding hands while executing coordinated footwork, dressed in vibrant attire and accompanied by lively music.The term ‘Thabal’ signifies moonlight, while ‘Chongba’ denotes hopping, collectively describing the act of dancing under the moonlight. Traditionally, young women organise these celebrations by pooling resources to arrange elaborate gatherings within their neighbourhoods, inviting potential suitors from surrounding areas to join the evening festivities. The dance serves as an occasion for couples to dance together, while single participants often have the opportunity to form romantic connections during these gatherings. It acts as a significant, culturally accepted, and structured forum for courtship, allowing young men and women to interact, hold hands, and develop romantic relationships in a public setting.Beyond Thabal Chongba, the festival features "Holi Pala": elders and community members perform traditional Pala Eshei (devotional songs) at Shree Shree Govindajee Temple and Shree Bijoy Govindaji Temple, as well as during home-to-home visits. These performances, rich in devotional fervour, also serve as occasions for collecting monetary offerings, tying the spiritual to the communal in the five-day rhythm of Yaoshang. Yaoshang Sports: Where Competition Meets CelebrationOver the past few decades, sports have become integral to Yaoshang, blending physical discipline with festivity. Communities across neighborhoods, villages, and towns organise competitive events over five days, showcasing young talents and reinforcing community identity.Present-day ‘Yaoshang’ celebrations are never complete without the Yaoshang sports.“It was through the intervention of social and political reformer Hijam Irabot that sports were formally introduced as part of the Yaoshang festival,” Somorjit noted.According to Somorjit, Irabot introduced sports as part of the Yaoshang festivities on an experimental basis. Since then, the festival has become a platform where physical skill, youth mobilisation, and community pride converge, expanding beyond mere celebration into structured civic and cultural engagement across five days.Traditional indigenous games—Mukna, Yubi Lapki, and Laphu Kabee—feature prominently, alongside modern competitions such as debates, singing contests, arithmetic challenges, and dance performances.Fun activities like spoon races, tug-of-war, blindfold games, and football matches engage participants of all ages, from children to married women. The five-day schedule ensures every participant, whether athlete or spectator, is woven into the festival’s fabric of collective joy and spirited competition. Aberteinaba: The Vibrant Heart Of YaoshangColours are among the most vibrant and joyous elements of the Yaoshang festival. Participants adorn each other’s faces with bright powders, a tradition known locally as ‘Aberteinaba’, while children enthusiastically engage in playful water splashing using ‘Pichkari’ (water guns).From the second day onwards, streets and open spaces come alive with laughter, vivid hues, and lively merriment. This exuberant celebration of colours continues throughout the five days, creating an atmosphere of boundless joy and communal harmony.Beyond mere play, the exchange of colours carries symbolic significance, representing the breaking down of social barriers and fostering friendship, unity, and goodwill among people of all ages.From children gleefully chasing one another with water guns to adults actively joining the revelry, the festival’s kaleidoscope of colours remains a defining and unforgettable feature until the final day.While the festival, with its vibrant festivities are celebrated for just five days now, earlier accounts indicate the festival stretched to nearly two months.Historian Wangam Somorjit believes there were long Yaoshang holidays till the late 1930s, as reflected in MK Priyabrata Singh’s ‘Down Memory Lane’, where the first chief minister of Manipur talked about visiting Ukhrul during the festival. Yaoshang’s Cultural Core: Survival Through TimeYaoshang is more than spectacle—it is a layered cultural phenomenon, shaped by Vaishnavite devotional frameworks, colonial-era reform movements, and modern civic life. Its survival across centuries reflects resilience, adaptability, and a refusal to lose cultural essence amidst changing times.The folk dance Thabal Chongba also emerged as the defining cultural expression of Yaoshang festival. Unlike classical dances institutionalised under royal patronage, Thabal Chongba remained a community folk form, participatory, and accessible. “Thabal Chongba stands today as perhaps the most visible surviving Manipuri folk dance practised at the community level,” historian Somorjit added.Yaoshang’s survival across centuries reflects its ability to adapt without losing its cultural core. It has absorbed political upheaval, economic change, and social reform while retaining its essential character as a communal celebration.