Holi fragrance in Manipur Till Mar 18

Imphal, Mar 16(UNI) The five-day long 'Yaoshang' or 'Holi' festival is being celebrated in Manipur with fervour and gaiety giving a respite to the people from their daily dose of killings, arrest and agitations--the hallmark of insurgency affected Manipur.

The festival, which started on March 14 and would continue till March 18, is a blend of the traditional Holi and Manipuri festival Yaoshang, in which the young and old participate. Young girls come out on to the streets stopping all passersby to demand money to organise 'thabal chongba' or moonlit dance at night while young boys get busy in organising sports. The old men and women go from one house to another singing in praise of the Lord.

Each locality organises Yaoshang sports for five days. It is mandatory for all to participate, age no bar. Even hefty fines are taken from those who fail to turn up.

Meanwhile, the police had a tough time controlling thousands of people in Shri Shri Govindajee temple in Imphal where they had come to offer their prayers. The entire administration, banking and business establishments and educational institutes have almost stopped functioning due to the festival, considered to be one of the biggest festivals in the state.

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