KHUADO
Khuado is one of the major festivals of the Paite community. It is a thanksgiving festival when all the harvest is done and the barns are filled to the brim and every household could afford a time-off from the back breaking toil of the jhum. Full Moon nights are regarded auspicious to kick-off the event. Whereas the time of its observance may differ for the Paite Zomis of the Chin hills and their counterparts in India. This is basically because of the difference in crops cultivation and its time of harvest.
The term Khuado is a combination of two terms khua and do. The literal meaning of khua is a village or town. It may also imply the weather condition. Khovaak/khuavaak is daylight while khomial/khuamial indicates night time or darkness. However in the present context KHUA connotes the deity KHUANU/KHUAZING of the past animistic Paite Zomis, which is supppose to cause upon the people sufferings and ill-omen. DO on the other hand means to fight back/to resist or to defend oneself. It can also imply - to entertain (a guest). Therefore KHUADO can be summed up as an occasion in whch the villagers fifgt back the evil spirit and engage themselves in a sort of mysticism to predict the well being of the village, and of the jhum for a bountiful harvest for tha next season. A mega feast is thrown to mark the occasion where the whole village, young and old alike share a sumptuous meal for days on end.
The Khuado festival is organized on the initiative of the village chief in consultation with elders of the male clan in the dormitory of the village. There can be one or more male dormitory in a village. It depends on the size of the village.
When the Chief announces the date for Khuado, every household in the village gets ready to collect resin (bark of the pine tree) from the forest for the much needed lighting. Light plays a pivotal role in khuado festival as each household lights a torch in the act of warding off the evil spirit from their home shouting, chanting and producing maximum noise using whatever instrument that comes handy like drums, gongs, cymbals, pipes etc.
This year Khuado Festival will be celebrated on 3rd December at Tourist Complex, Berawtlang, Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram. Berawtlang is less than 5 kms from the central part of the city. Buses and taxis ply every 15-20 minutes and private cars can also be hired.