Mizo youth dancing Cheraw dance during Thalfavang festival in Mizoram.

Cheraw is a very old traditional dance of the Mizos. It is believed that the dance had already existed way back in the 1st Century A.D., while the Mizos were still somewhere in the Yunan Province of China, before their migration into the Chin Hills in the 13th Century A.D., and eventually to the present Mizoram. Some of the tribes living in South East Asia have similar dances in one form or the other with different names.

Thalfavang Kut festival is considered as one of the most significant festivals in Mizoram. Completion of weeding of the crop fields to make them suitable for harvesting activities is a primary farming operation of the cultivators of Mizoram. Thalfavang Kut is celebrated at a time when this weeding of the farm lands in Mizoram is completed by the cultivators.

Since cultivation is the prime source of socio-economic survival of the people of Mizoram hence most of the festivals are associated with some or other harvesting processes. Thalfavang Kut is one such occasion when the local inhabitants of Mizoram are involved in a wide array of festive activities.

The tribal groups living in all corners of Mizoram participate in various cultural events that are organized during the Thalfavang Kut festival. With vibrant shades of dance costumes the local people of Mizoram present an awe-inspiring range of performances to celebrate Thalfavang Kut.

The entire region of Mizoram becomes a vibrant platform of enjoyment and enthusiasm when Thalfavang Kut is celebrated in the place. With sumptuous feasts the Mizoram people engross completely in the festive spirit of Thalfavang Kut.

Another interesting trait of the festival of Thalfavang Kut is that it provides a scope to the tribal communities living in the far flung corners of Mizoram to represent their inherent cultural characteristics. Otherwise inhabiting remotely approachable places, the different tribes and sub-tribes of Mizoram get a