Yaoshang

Yaoshang is the five-day spring festival of the Meitei community of Manipur, held at the full moon of Phalguna (February–March). It combines an older Sanamahi Yaoshang mei-thaba fire rite with the later Hindu Holi tradition and a valley-wide programme of sports and Thabal Chongba moonlight dances.

It is Manipur's most extroverted festival — every neighbourhood holds sports meets, cultural evenings and, on nights three to five, the Thabal Chongba circle dance where unmarried Meitei youth join hands under the full moon.

• Thabal Chongba — moonlight circle dances of unmarried Meitei youth
• Yaoshang sports meets in every locality, from athletics to mei-hola
• Burning of the Yaoshang mei-thaba (straw hut) on the first evening
• Holi-style colour play across Imphal on the final day

• Manipur's most joyful spring festival, blending Meitei and Vaishnava traditions
• Every neighbourhood becomes a stage — organic, un-ticketed access
• Ideal window for a Loktak Lake and Kangla Fort combined trip

Yaoshang predates the arrival of Vaishnavism in Manipur in the 18th century. The mei-thaba (burning of a straw hut) is the older Sanamahi element, while the colour-throwing that follows was adopted after the Meitei kingdom's conversion to Vaishnavism under Maharaja Pamheiba.

Thabal Chongba is the festival's most distinctive social element — a formal moonlight circle dance where young men are invited into the women's dance circle only with the group's collective permission, a rare public courtship setting in Indian society.

• Annual dates: five days beginning on the full moon of Phalguna (usually late February or March).
• Venue: statewide across the Imphal Valley; the largest Thabal Chongba grounds are in central Imphal, Bishnupur and Thoubal.
• Government offices in Manipur are closed on the first two days.

The Meitei are the majority community of the Imphal Valley. Yaoshang is a Meitei festival at its core, though the hill tribes of Manipur often join the sports meets and the public colour-throwing on Yaoshang day.

The mei-thaba on the first evening burns the year's accumulated impurities. The days of colour-throwing that follow celebrate the arrival of spring, and the Thabal Chongba nights of the second half are a rare formal social space for unmarried men and women to meet under community supervision.

• Yaoshang mei-thaba — the burning of a small straw hut on the first evening.
• Thabal Chongba — moonlight circle dances of unmarried Meitei youth on nights three, four and five.
• Yaoshang sports meets in every locality — athletics, kang (a traditional board game), mei-hola (fire-fetching) and modern events.
• Nakatheng — bands of children going door-to-door for small gifts of money for the neighbourhood dance ground.
• Colour-throwing on the second and third days, in the Holi tradition.

• Air: Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IMF), Imphal — direct flights from Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bengaluru.
• Rail: The nearest working railway is Dimapur (DMV) in Nagaland, 215 km via NH-2.
• Road: Imphal is connected to Guwahati and Dimapur by NH-2 and NH-37; buses and shared sumos run daily.

Following the December 2024 Ministry of Home Affairs order, foreign nationals require a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to enter Manipur. Apply through the FRRO or an Indian mission abroad well in advance.

Indian nationals do not require a permit for Manipur, but should carry a government-issued photo ID.

Check the latest Ministry of Home Affairs and embassy travel advisories before planning a visit.

Late February to March in Imphal is cool and dry, with daytime temperatures of 20–28 °C and cool nights of 10–15 °C. Pack light cotton clothing, a light jacket for evenings and old clothes for the colour-throwing days.

Imphal has mid-range hotels and heritage guesthouses in the city centre and near the airport. Meitei homestays offer the best chance to attend a neighbourhood Thabal Chongba.

Book three to four weeks in advance; Yaoshang is a peak festival week in Manipur.

• The Thabal Chongba is a moonlit low-light setting — a fast prime (35 mm or 50 mm f/1.4) is essential.
• The colour-throwing days are hard on gear — use a weather-sealed body or a rain cover, and rinse the lens hood between sessions.
• The mei-thaba fire on the first evening is a strong visual — shoot into the flames with a wide-angle for scale.

• Kangla Fort — the ancient seat of the Meitei kings.
• Loktak Lake and Keibul Lamjao National Park — home to the endangered Sangai deer.
• Ima Keithel — the historic all-women's market of Imphal.
• Shree Govindajee Temple and the Manipur State Museum.

Yaoshang is a living cultural event hosted by the Meitei community. Please attend as a respectful guest, not a spectator.