SSC
What is the name of the lunar New Year festival of the followers of Sanamahism in Manipur?
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Answer: Option A — Sajibu Cheiraoba
Detailed Solution
Sajibu Cheiraoba is the lunar New Year festival of the Meitei people of Manipur, especially of those who follow Sanamahism, the traditional religion of the Meiteis. It is celebrated on the first day of the Meitei month of Sajibu, which usually falls in March or April.
On the day of Cheiraoba, families clean and decorate their homes and prepare a variety of special dishes. Before the family eats, a portion of the food, uncooked rice, vegetables, fruits and other items are offered to the deities, especially to the household deity Sanamahi and to Lainingthou, at the gate or in the courtyard of the home, to seek blessings for the new year. Family feasts follow, and people visit relatives and friends and exchange gifts. In the afternoon, a tradition of climbing the hills is observed. People climb nearby hilltops, such as the Cheiraoching hill, believing that this will help them rise to greater heights in life in the new year. On this day, married daughters and sisters are often invited to the homes of their parents and brothers for a feast.
Sanamahism is the indigenous religion of the Meitei people, centred on the worship of Sanamahi, the supreme household deity, and Leimarel Sidabi, the mother goddess, as well as ancestral deities called Umang Lai. Many Meiteis follow both Hinduism (especially Vaishnavism) and Sanamahism.
Other important festivals of Manipur include:
- Yaoshang, the five-day spring festival at the time of Holi, with the Thabal Chongba dance.
- Lai Haraoba, the ritual festival honouring the Umang Lai deities.
- Ningol Chakouba, the festival in which married women are invited to their parents' homes for a feast, in the month of Hiyangei (October-November).
- Kut, Lui-Ngai-Ni and the Sangai Festival.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Yaoshang is the five-day spring festival of the Meiteis at the time of Holi.
- ✗Lai Haraoba is the ritual festival in honour of the traditional deities.
- ✗Ningol Chakouba is the festival of married women visiting their parental homes.
Quick tip
Remember: Sajibu Cheiraoba = the Meitei New Year, Sanamahism and the custom of climbing hills (Cheiraoching).
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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.