SSC
Pawl Kut, a harvest thanksgiving festival, is celebrated in which state?
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Answer: Option A — Mizoram
Detailed Solution
Pawl Kut is one of the three traditional festivals of the Mizo people of Mizoram. It is a harvest festival, celebrated in December, after the harvest of the paddy crop is completed. It is a time of thanksgiving and rejoicing for the year's harvest.
"Kut" means festival in the Mizo language, and "Pawl" refers to straw, because the festival is celebrated after the rice has been harvested and only the straw remains in the fields. Pawl Kut is celebrated with feasting, singing and dancing. People share food and drink, especially meat and rice beer, with their family and community. One special custom of the festival is the "chawnghnawh", in which mothers and children, dressed in their best clothes, sit together on a memorial platform and feed each other eggs and meat, as a symbol of love and the hope for a prosperous future. The festival also includes community feasts and the sharing of food with the poor, which shows the Mizo value of "tlawmngaihna", the spirit of selfless service and helping others.
The Mizos traditionally practised jhum (shifting) cultivation, and their three Kuts are linked with the stages of the farming year:
Chapchar Kut is celebrated in spring (March), after the clearing of the jungle for jhum cultivation. It is the most popular festival, with the Cheraw (bamboo) dance.
Mim Kut is celebrated in August-September, after the maize harvest. It is dedicated to the souls of the dead.
Pawl Kut is celebrated in December, after the paddy harvest, as a thanksgiving festival.
Since most Mizos follow Christianity, Christmas is also one of the biggest celebrations in the state.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Nagaland is known for the Hornbill Festival and tribal festivals such as Moatsu and Sekrenyi.
- ✗Tripura is known for Kharchi Puja and Garia Puja.
- ✗Arunachal Pradesh is known for Losar, Solung and Dree.
Quick tip
Remember the three Kuts of Mizoram: Chapchar Kut (spring), Mim Kut (maize harvest, for the dead) and Pawl Kut (paddy harvest thanksgiving).
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.