New Year Festival (Canghli Mubaw – Saningkangtha)
It is a festival held after the mountain field rice harvest. The whole village designates the day after all mountain field rice has been gathered as the New Year’s Day. Collecting the harvested rice marks the final part of the year’s farming cycle and is regarded as the last month or period of the year.
The harvest season is like the lifeblood of the year — the time when all the year’s work is concentrated. Although the actual harvesting period may be only about 2% of the year, the labor is intense and requires sleepless effort. People must also protect their crops from natural disasters, animal destruction, and diseases. During this time couples must also take care of each other. Meat and fish are completely avoided. Only two or three kinds of vegetables boiled with salt and water are eaten simply throughout the harvest period. At midnight, people patrol around the fields. Scarecrows and effigies are set up, and noise is made continuously to scare off pests. Traps and fences are built and guns are fired.
The two-month harvest period is the time when people work under the pressure of sunset and bad weather. This period usually starts in the last week of September and lasts until the third week of November. Nowadays the harvest usually finishes around the last week of October.
Among the Khongso people, during the harvest, families with less manpower are helped by neighbors and fellow farmers so that all the work can be finished together without delays. Because of this cooperation, the end of the year feels complete and everyone can welcome the New Year happily.
Each family prepares a pot of rice beer in advance for the New Year festival. One or two days before the festival no one goes to the fields (this is called Patui Ong). On the eve of before the New Year, after the evening meal, someone lights a fire in the village yard to begin the New Year celebration. At this time the prepared pots of rice beer are brought to the village yard. Once they are arranged, elders, men, and women gather to drink together. They sing old songs and poems and dance happily.
The next day is the New Year’s morning. A traditional bamboo pole painted in black and white squares (Tin Naing) is erected as a symbol of the New Year. Each person takes turns shooting the white squares with a gun. This is called “Saningkangtha Tin Naing Ka” or “New Year spear shooting.” If the shot hits, it is believed the economy will be good.
Pigs are slaughtered and people eat and celebrate joyfully. Guns are fired many times and everyone sings New Year blessing songs for the whole day.
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