CHIN NATIONAL DAY
February 20



Welcome aboard! We are glad to have a cyber celebration of Chin National Day once again. At this season we can see in our mental eyes our land blooming with beautiful flowers; our mothers and sisters savoring the beauty, and melody of song birds, on their way home from field, while fathers enjoy the same on their hunting trips. We will be able to hear the beautiful song of C. Vansanga's Buannel Ram Dai at the last part of this page. Let's enjoy the beautiful day. 

This page will contain a Chin National Day message, a few video clips, some patriotic songs and love songs, and more. Please be patient downloading big files. Click all the links and the music symbols. Music comes mostly in WAV files, and a few in MP3. At the moment, you are supposed to hear a folk song, if you have clicked the Play button of the audio console at the very top of the page.

Let's start with a beautiful song of Salai M's February 20. The song is inviting all of us to celebrate the Chin National Day merrily. Just click the music symbol above, if you haven't. Stop it whenever you want to. The song file was originally from laimi.org, and now we store it in different format. If you are motivated enough, you can click here for a different song.



O Land of beauty, nature as her artist,
Fortified by deep valleys and steep mountains,
Embroidered by rosebays and orchids in the mist,
What on earth dare compare her charm and appearance!

O Land of nation, hornbill as her emblem,
Men in unity and women in purity,
Uplifted by singing her national anthem
What on earth dare challenge her arms and loyalty!

O Land of amity, friendship as her mores, too
Where men of accents share the same brotherhood,
Honoured by drinking her long-fermented zupu*
What on earth dare divide her love and attitude!

O Land of virtue, morals as her title,
Purified by equality and justice
Affluent in mentality and mettle
What on earth dare beguile her faith and prudence!

by

Van Biak Thang

(from http://chinlandguardian.com)

When the song is over, you may enjoy another beautiful song sung by Central Young Lai Association by clicking the next music symbol down below. The song says: "We are looking forward a bright future and a new age to come" You will hear "Lai Ram" often. Since songs are composed mostly in vernacular langauge, the composers choose it to use the vernacular name of their land which they call Lai Ram or Zo Ram or Zo Gam. It means the land of the Lais or the Zos. That is the way we call our land. Lai and Zo are vernacular words for Chin. However, we are using Chin here as the term has long been used in national and international contexts.

Chins around the world are encouraged to celebrate our national day at their respective localities.Chins today are in diaspora because of the hard-to-live political and economic situations of their homeland (Burma). They are scattering in various countries as if they have no land to live. Thousands are in India, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Norway, Germany, Japan, Korea, United States, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore. Many are seeking protection under the UNHCR. While they remember the political nightmare the have faced in their own land, they can never forget their mother land and their people. February 20 marks their love of freedom and unity. On this day, Chins and friends around the globe will be celebrating our national day with songs and dance, as they have done for several years.

Chin National Day has occurred tens of times--the first time on February 20, 1948. This year is its 66th day or 65th anniversary, but we are celebrating Chin National Day here, not it's anniversary. We are celebrating our national day because to remind ourselves that we belong to this land, and our heart longs for it even when we are in different lands. This day also has a history and meaning. What is the history? What is the meaning? Keep reading.

 


There is a land where chokhlei blooms and sial roams. While the people adored the land, singing to it, "chhawrpial ruun i iang e", the British annexed it, divided it and ruled it under the names "Lushai Hills" and "Chin Hills". They divided the mind of the people, and added the bigger eastern Hills to Burma, the smaller western Hills to India, and the southern part to Bangladesh.

On February 20, 1948, just after Burma and India gained their independence, more than five thousand of our mothers and fathers in Chin Hills held a conference in Falam, the then capital of the Chin Hills, in order to terminate the feudal system so that every citizen may equally enjoy their freedom--freedom from the oppression of the British as well as of the local dictators (the chiefs, at that time). The conference was attended by Sao Shwe Thaik, the then president of Burma, who went there to persuade the Chins to abide with Burma, rather than with India where a portion of our people lived. That was the day they showed their freedom of choice. The same day was recognized as Chin National Day by Prime Minister U Nu on February 20, 1951, according to Pu J. Thang Lian Pau. That same day was chosen, by Pu Laldenga, leader of Mizo National Front, to sign the peace accord with the Indian government, in accordance with the pre-existing Chin National Day which had been celebrated since 1948. That is a sign to show that the two peoples are of the same blood. The same day will be celebrated as Mizoram State Day in Mizoram, India, and Chin National Day elsewhere.

 folk song

Beautiful is our cradle land;
In times when our national day comes,
Let our dreams come true,
As new leaves come in Spring.


Par Len Tial

Click here and here to view Chin National Day e-Cards of previous years.

 

Now let's make a time to remember our loved ones who gave their life for our people and our land. Please click the music symbol below. And you will hear a song sung by our great singer Vanlalruati from India. The song, composed by C. Dinthanga, is dedicated to a volunteer who gave his young life for his land and his people. [Forgive the poor sound quality. I took it from a 2nd generation tape.]

This year, we have a Chin National Day message from Salai Elaisa Vahnie. Let's take a few minutes to read.


 


CHIN NATIONAL DAY MESSAGE

by Salai Elaisa Vahnie

It is privilege and an honor to deliver a Chin National Day message to my fellows Chins and to our friends and supporters around the world on this special occasion — the 65th Anniversary of Chin National Day. I humbly take this as a great opportunity to reflect and to share my hope and wishes for the future of our Chin people and for Burma as the two have a direct relation to one another.

People all over the world opted to observe Chin National Day – the day on which the most significant historic event and political success occurred. The importance of the observance of a national day or a national holiday varies enormously from state to state and from society to society. However, many societies celebrate the day on which their nation gained freedom, equality and self-determination. The French celebrate their national day on July 14th, which is known as Bastille Day, marking the uprising of the ‘modern French nation’ in 1789. The Americans observe their Independence Day on July 4th as their national day remembering the day when the United States obtained the ‘political freedom’ from the British colonial rule in 1776. So do the Chins.

In 1948, our ancestors chose to express their free will and their desire for liberty and democratic principles in our society. We, the Chin people, rightfully adopted February 20th as our National Day and as the most significant political accomplishment to date in our history. We know this is the day when our forefathers decided to abandon the Chin feudal ruling system and introduced a democratic system of governance in our society. On this day, the founding members of Chin National Day had openly and frankly discussed, consulted each other, and deliberated for four-days for the sake of the common good of our people, our society and our future generation. This is the day when our leaders demonstrated bravery, the quality, and their greatness by coming to recognize and demonstrate respect for all individuals, clans, tribes, and groups among the Chin people in a desire for equality in our society. This is the day when our Chin people decided to embrace Unity in Diversity. Despite extreme diversity among Chin people, our ancestors did not care about the size of a particular Chin group. They did not care what language or dialect the representative speaks. They did not care how far or near they lived from Falam Town. Instead, they cared about the conference was organized inclusively with the participation of representatives across the Chin society — from every corner of the Chin Hills, towns, villages, from East, West, North and South. This is the day when our exceptional leaders demonstrated that the Chin people can stand united for the common goals and purpose by simply coming together and unanimously agreeing to accept and embrace democratic ideals and norms.

We, the Chin, however, are yet to fully experience the great foundation that our forefathers built for us some sixty-five years ago. Let us engage in an honest reflection to see what went wrong and how to fix it. As one begins to dream about self-determination of the Chin people, we are immediately forced to talk about ethnic conflict and federalist democracy in Burma.

Briefly revisiting our history, it is a fact that together with all other ethnic minorities in Burma, we, the Chins, have been systematically deprived of our rights to determine our political destiny under the reclusive and successive military dictatorships that ruled our country for more than half a century. We were denied attempts to discover what our rights are as a people to live as a people. Instead thousands are forced to flee our homeland as refugees. Despite having to go through such inhumane treatments, we have endured and survived with great resilience against the ethnic cleansing project that was implemented as a state policy for decades. Now moving forward with the current political state, we must remember our history, but we also must constructively engage in a sincere dialogue if we are to offer a better future for our Chin people as well as Burma.

With an understanding that we are in the critical transition period in the history of Burma, it has never been more important for the entire Chin people to fully embrace “Unity in Diversity” by recognizing and accepting the name “Chin” as our origin and national name. How big or small, or what group name we might belong or prefer to call – such as Cho, Khumi, Lai, Mara, Mizo, or Zo, we must learn how to recognize and respect each other with a clear understanding that we all are Chins. Native and foreign scholars have reached a common conclusion through extensive studies that we are Chins. This conclusion is supported by linguistic, historical, and political arguments. The name Chin is neither the imposition by the foreigners nor adopted but developed from our very origin and ancestry centuries ago. Let us gently remind ourselves that we are Chin. And the fact that we are people who have a rich tradition, culture, language, dialects and history should not change our national name or our identity, or destroy our unity. All of these combine to show the beauty of our Chin people and our strength.

This principle applies to the whole Burma. For the Burmans or any other ethnic group to have the idea that their own culture is superior because they have a larger population is problematic. Although one must be encouraged to see the recent positive developments under President U Thein Sein’s leadership, there is every reason to be optimistically cautious. For instance, we welcome the recent agreement between the Burmese government and the Chin National Front, allowing the official celebration of the Chin National Day in Burma. Only when the Chin National Day is designated as a Chin State public holiday by the constitution stipulation can the issue be addressed fully. Likewise, to achieve national reconciliation and national unity in Burma conducive to building a peaceful and developed nation, it will require us to engage in an open, sincere, and frank dialogue with recognition and respect for each other, the spirit and value that embraces ethnic diversity in the country — backed by the institutional and constitutional arrangement.

Finally, I would like to humbly urge my Chin fellows and the people of Burma to place our trust in education. World history, including social, economic or political history, has informed us that education is perhaps the best tool to achieve freedom, sustained peace, and prosperity. Indeed this is the dream and the foundation that our Chin leaders gave us some 65 years ago. Hence, I will give no lecture on how better education is correlated with better earnings. We all know that on average, a person with a college degree will make more money than a high school graduate in their lifetime. As George Washington Carver once said, "Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” My intent here is to emphasize the critical role education plays in achieving liberty and building a democratic society and nation. If we look at Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan, or Taiwan, we learn that these nations have invested in education for hundreds of years to develop the respective states we see now. More recently, we have witnessed how the educated middle-class population has played a pivotal role in leading and transforming countries in the Middle East to democracy. Chin society and Burma are no exceptions. It will require us to invest a good amount of our human capital and other resources in education if we are to build a sustained peace and long-term development of our society and our country.

This will only be possible through a consistent application of principles and values that embrace ethnic diversity, mutual recognition and respect for each other, along with a true and sincere desire for peaceful co-existence paralleling with a system reform.

May God bless you all, and May God bless Chin people and Chinland.

2/16/2013

We thank Salai Elaisa Vahnie for giving such a great message.
Salai Elaisa Vahnie is the director of Indianapolis-based Burmese American Community Institute.
https://www.facebook.com/salaiEV

Click here for messages from previous years.

We are to hear patriotic songs and love songs on this web page. As we are listening to them, let us have a tour to our homeland. We are to see pictures from cacc.info, laimi.org and zomi.info, etc. (don't steal the pictures). We are not showing the best parts of our land and buildings. Click here, then tour. Don't forget to bring your zu, hae hae.

Tour 1 (Central)
Tour 2 (Southern)
Tour 3 (Northern)

Chins have shown courage throughout history when defending their land. They never neglect the security of their territory. The territory they defended in ancient times may have been smaller local areas, and the enemy they fought may have been a different group of their own people, but they didn't fail to defend their land and their people harmoniously in cases when foreigners come into their land to invade. That was shown when they chose it to resist the British than just waiting for slavery. We can never forget Lal Luai, Khai Kam and Hlur Hmung who had bravely resisted and fought the invading British troops with all their might and resources available; and Col. Hrang Thio and Aungsan Thuriya Thura Thai Con and many others, who had shown Chins' courage and love of their country. In modern days, Chins, in cooperation with other ethnic and non-ethnic groups, are participating actively in the struggle for democracy and public freedom in the country, the idea of which had already been established 57 years ago on the first Chin National Day. We hope that Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and other friends of Chins near and far, be with us in this auspicious Chin National Day. Aung San Suu Kyi, in the picture, is wearing Chin dresses from the southern part. The picture which is from the media, is likely taken when she had a tour to Chin State during April 2003. She is one of the few Burmese national leaders who ever had a tour to Chin State. Fifty-eight years ago, when she was two years old, her father General Aung San went to Chin Hills, persuading the local chiefs to join him, with other ethnic peoples, to be in the Union, and Panglong Agreement was signed. That was in 1947. Chin National Day was born the next year.-----------Setan pen Kawl ngian nei hih (joking)

However, the Burmese government failed to respect the Panglong Agreement. It rules the country in such a way that the rights and the freedom of the ethnic peoples were curtailed. The tear of the people was ignored. People cry for rights and democracy.

Aw ka pianna leh ka seilenna ram,
Engah nge i lo rum le?
Duhthu ai i sam sual vang em lo ni?
Hetih kauva i nat le?

V. Thangzama


Now let's take a time to hear nationalistic songs. Please accept our language differences and different taste of music. We borrow these files temporarily from CACC's website. Click here first, then click on the name of the artists. It will pop up in a separate window, so, you may continue touring our land while listening to the songs.

Tour 4
Tour 5
Tour 6

Now let's view a video.

This dance is called "Rawkhatlak". In ancient days, Lai people had a belief that the way of a pregnant woman to the Dead World is very hard to go. If a woman dies while she is pregnant, a ceremony is held so that the soul of the deceased can go merrily to the Land of the Dead. The ceremony was held for a few days, and on the last day, a group of young women would dress in their traditional dresses, and dance at the place of the deceased. This, in one way, is a farewell ceremony to the soul of the dead. Young men would help in carrying the bamboo, and play it in rhythm. Originally, it was all girls to participate in the dance, and young men to play the bamboo rhythm. However, tradition has changed a lot. Rawkhatlak is danced in any entertainment ceremonies nowadays. Beginning from a few years, in some parts, men also participate together with women in the dance, and the bamboo rhythm is done by women as well. Fuller description availablehere.

 


Congtuah maanzu ding in,
Khahlan kan pipu le,
Lei doral rak lian maw.
Atu nonawn tthangthar zuam cio u.
An thlur maanla thiamttial ca tthingttheng.

Za Nei Sum



Butterfly Couple Dance

This cattle is originally called sial, but in some dialects, the final lateral has lost, and it becomes sia. Some writings have recorded it's name as mythun. We don't even know how to pronounce it since it has four possible pronunciations. This animal is typically found in the land we are adoring, and is never used for laboring, but only eaten as the most valued animal for feasts and sacrifices. The picture on the left represents a family of the Paite tribe. The Paite (meaning the ones who have gone) lives mostly in the northern parts of Mizoram State, India, and a smaller portion in Chin State, Myanmar. The picture was taken originally from Momno website. Click it to make it larger. Chins have many kinds of cultural costumes. The dark one which Sui Tum Par is wearing, in the first picture of the page, is from Central Chin. In the picture of three girls above the cattle, the left-most is supposed to represent the Southern Chin, the middle the Central Chin, and the 3rd the Northern. Chin women's costumes are said to become popular now in Myanmar after singer Sung Tin Par and super model Zung Cer Mawi (alias Thet Mon Myint) proudly wear them before the public. The dress Aung San Suu Kyi is wearing is from the southern. Actually, Chin state is a small land--too small to divide. Most of the resources in this page are accessible from links in cacc.info.

 

Now let's hear an anthem, by Thawn Kham and his group. This is a great anthem. Don't miss it.


LALPA a Pathian si mi phun chu a lawptlo; amah ta ding ah thim mi tla chu a lawptlo.
A-Pathenu Pakai hikha nam mite chu anun nom ahiuvin, Pakaiyin agoulo dia alhendoh mite chu anomuve!
TOUPA Pathian nei nam tuh a hampha uhi; amah gouluah dia a tel mite mah.
LALPA Pathiana nei hnam cu an eng a thawl e; Ama rochana a thlan mite chu.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

 

Now we are going to have music, mostly love songs, to fully enjoy our beautiful national day. Love songs have nothing to do with our national day, but I just put them for our entertainment. We have great singers with wonderful voices. But we just provide music available to the webmaster. The songs are mostly in Lai language, while a few of them are in Burmese and Lusei. We are glad to have guest singers L. Khun Ri and Sai Htee Saing, our Kachin and Shan friends. Remember: Chin, Kachin and Shan were the three ethnic peoples that signed Panglong Agreement in 1947. Sai Htee Saing, a great Shan singer and a close friend of our great artist Salai Sun Ceu, used to contribute a song or two in Chin National Day celebration in the University of Yangon. L. Khun Ri has a golden voice. Sung Tin Par is the most popular female singer in Myanmar currently. The next Chaw Suu Khin is said to be an Asho Chin. All of the songs come from cacc.info (except the Real Media files). Please don't use these files in your web sites. They are copyrighted, supposedly. The girl in the picture is Zung Cer Mawi. I put it here to attract you. More images here.  Enjoy!

Mai Sen Tial Dawt Hlei Hniang
Vanhlupui Van Hnuai
Salai Tuan Ling Thang Ci Lian & Dawt Hlei Hniang
Thawn Kham Chaw Suu Khin
Za Zi L. Khun Ri
Sai Di Sung Tin Par
Cung Lian Thawng Sai Htee Saing
C. Vansanga Salai Sun Ceu

Videos

All right. I hope you enjoyed this cyber celebration of our auspicious Chin National Day. It took me long enough building this site, as I used text editor only. But I think it worth, because this day has a meaning and significance for all tribes of our people who spread round the globe across international boundaries, especially in this time of Chin diaspora when we crucially need reunification. If this web site conveys, to our people in different continents, the essence of Chin National Day, and entertains the users, that would indicate that the time and energy I spent for this site is not all vague, and of course, that would be a great pleasure for me.

Who am I? I am a slow guy who is quick only to laugh at people. I laugh at myself too. I am from Halkha. I spend almost all my time studying, or hanging around schools. I've never been away from educational institutions too long, except for the first five years of my life. Some might think that I am a "professional student". But I am not a political activist. Now, I am a graduate student at Department of Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A. It's a big university, having about 38 thousand students and 4 thousand professors. I think it's one of the biggest universities in the US. I am the only Chin student studying there at present. The late Pu Siamkima Khawlhring from Mizoram graduated from this university, and Prof. F.K. Lehman, the author of The Structure of the Chin Society, is working there actively. He loves to sing the song "Mangttha". I love that too. If youvisit me there, or e-mail me, just call me "Pa Hlun".

Mangttha!