Pawl Kut

Pawl Kut, a tribal festival in Mizoram beckons many foreign and domestic tourists to the north eastern state. It is basically a harvest festival comprising feasts, songs and dances which keep their culture and tradition alive. The celebration has a century old history. Centuries ago their ancestors in the eastern part of Tiau river near Burma faced a tough time because of a disaster-like dry spell. The seeds refused to germinate suggesting an impending danger of feminine for three years.

Boxed by these circumstances, the tribal people there prayed to the almighty to listen to their woes. They further sought blessings from Him in the form of rains. Then rains started falling on the earth resulting in a bumper crops that year. Since then they have been observing the festival to rejoice the bliss with no less enthusiasm. This is, precisely, the history of the Pawl Kut Festival in Mizoram.

The attraction here is the feast of meat and egg which draws no less applause from the people of home and outside who visit the hilly north eastern state to share the joy. The villagers finalise the schedule of the carnival where the male folks leave for hunting and fishing. Then the kills are shared in the feasts. Of late, it has become more a fiesta and less a festival in Mizoram. Sipping zu (rice beer), both men and women make it a best occasion to sing and dance apart from organizing ballet and other activities to thank the almighty for bounteous crops. Even the young ones join the festivities to make it more attractive. Till the other day, Zu was beyond the reach of the poor people. But now a days, it is affordable for the common people. The best placed to visit during this festival is the capital city of Aiazwl.