A three-day celebration of the ancient Manipuri religious festival Lai Haraoba has begun in Kamalganj with colorful and spiritual ceremonies.

The festival started on Wednesday (April 23) evening at the Manipuri Cultural Complex in Tetigaon village under Adampur Union of Kamalganj upazila, Moulvibazar.

Funded by UNESCO Bangladesh, the festival is jointly supported by the Bangladesh National Museum, IGCC, Porei Apokpa Marup Religious Cultural Organization, the Consortium of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bangladesh (CIB), and Sadhana – A Center for Advancement of South Asian Culture.

Organized by the Lai Haraoba Steering Committee, the festival features various religious and cultural activities of the Manipuri community. It includes participation from religious leaders, dancers, art directors, and researchers from Manipur, India, along with cultural figure Lubna Marium, representatives from the Bangladesh National Museum, UNESCO, and notable Bangladeshi intellectuals.

According to tradition, the daily events will include divine messages delivered by Maibi (priestesses), along with folk songs, dances, and rituals.

Lai Haraoba is deeply rooted in Meitei culture and linked with Sanamahism, the traditional religion of the Manipuri people. The festival is meant to please the deities through joyful dance and music. The dance style showcased during the event is considered one of the oldest forms of Manipuri classical dance, originating from the folk tradition known as Lai Haraoba Jagoi.

The word Lai means deity, Haraoba means joy, and Jagoi means dance—altogether expressing joy offered to the gods through sacred performance.

According to tradition, the dance reenacts the joy of gods when the Creator succeeded in shaping mankind in His image after creating the world.

BDST: 1033 HRS, April 24, 2025
MSK