Preparation for Chin National Day Celebration in Full Swing

February 20, 2008 will mark the 60th anniversary of Chin National Day, the day that the Chin people abolished traditional feudalism and adopted democratic principle at the town of Falam , the then district headquarters of northern Chin Hills.

Preparation of Chin national day celebration have been announced by Chin Community from different towns and cities since the beginning  of the month and Chin people around the world are getting excited renewing their national pride as a distinct people and nation among the world community.

The Chin community around the world from New Zealand to the United Sates will start celebrating their national day from as early as February 16, and in some places on the 23rd of February.

This year’s big event will be in Frankfurt , Germany where the Chin Community of Germany invited Chin celebrities from Burma such as Sung Tin Par, Thuan Kham and rock star Daduhi from Mizoram for 60th anniversary Chin national day celebration.

In the state of Maryland in the United States, the Chin community invited Prime Minister Sein Win of National Coalition Government of Union of Burma (NCGUB) an exile Burmese government based in the United States, and Governor of Maryland State as their chief guests of the event that is going to be held on February 16.

Another grand celebration will take place at the US Midwestern city of Indianapolis on February 16 where US Senator Richard Lugar and Salai Bawi Lian, director of Chin Human Rights Organization are invited as their chief guests. Indianapolis is a city that the largest Chin immigrants called home that the city is know as “Chin State Capital in the US ” among the Chins.

This year’s big attraction in Indianapolis will be traditional Chin wrestling contest where the champion of Texas is coming all the way from Dallas to challenge Indianapolis champion.

There will also be chains of Chin National Day celebration through the month in other cities in the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Australia, India, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, and inside Burma and in all towns of Chinland.

Inside Burma and 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.

“I think the authority will do some stupid thing again this year because there is always confrontation whenever our national day approached. We know that what the Burmese authority is doing on us is not fair but we can’t help because they are too strong and powerful with their guns” said a Chin student leader from Rangoon.

According to Lian Uk an exile Chin MP from the Capital of Chinland during 1990 general election in Burma, “Celebrating  the Chin National Day  for the Chin  communities anywhere else is the best way to teach our daughters and sons that they are Chins as they are the children of  the Chin parents  who  care them most in the world”.

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 food, wrestling contest, fashion show and concert.
Chinland Guardian
February 7, 2007