Chin National Day Celebrated Worldwide
20 February 2010 – Chinland Guardian: Today marks the 62nd anniversary of Chin National Day being commemorated and celebrated across the globe by Chin communities in their respective dwelling countries.
A string of celebrations is also organised by various groups including Chin students at their respective colleges and universities in Burma and Chin refugees stranded in India and Malaysia amid risks of being arrested as well as in Thailand.
Greetings, messages and statements have been sent out and circulated in their email groups and forums, honouring this special day and at the same time recalling its significant historical background.
Chin National Council remarked in its statement that today is the 62nd anniversary of the auspicious day that the Chin people abolished their traditional aristocratic ruling system and laid down the foundation of democratic system of government.
A variety of programmes and activities presenting Chin traditional and cultural values has been prepared in the celebrations which include traditional dances, songs, fashion shows and concluding gigs. In some places, traditional foods such as sabuti [hominy corn soup] and chang [sticky rice in banana leaves or Chin dumplings] are made available.
Sports have also increasingly become one of the features of celebrations. Chin communities in some countries organised wrestling and a series of friendly football matches. In Malaysia, about 70 Chins took part in wrestling competition held on 19 February 2010, with a huge attendance, according to VOCR (Voice of Chin Reguees) today.
In parallel with Chin National Day celebrations, a special photo exhibit by a British photojournalist Benny Manser highlighting the continuing humanitarian crisis that faces Chin people not only in Chin State but also in foreign countries such as Malaysia and India will be displayed in the UK, USA and Thailand.
In military-ruled Burma and especially in Chinland, Chin National celebration is not allowed by the ruling military junta. Instead, the junta prefers to let the Chin people celebrate February 20 as Chin State Day. The Chins usually insisted to celebrate as National Day and not as State Day.
The Chin people celebrate their national day on the 20th February every year to commemorate the historic date, 20 February 1948, when more than fifty thousand Chin leaders across Chin State gathered at Falam Town unanimously agreeing upon the transferring of the Chin feudal administrative system into a democratic system of governing.
Chin National Day celebration usually takes one whole day with various activities where formal political ceremony and speech from the chief guest is followed by sharing traditional foods, wrestling contests, fashion shows, dances and concerts.
Van Biak Thang
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