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The Chugan is the post-funeral
ceremony of the Garos .It literally means final lying down of
the Body-the body of the dead. It is known as Saram among the
Atong the Atong and Gara Divisions of the Garos. The Dual Matchi
division of the Garos call It Chugana or U.mang so.a.The Abeng
division of the Garos calls it Sorata. The Chugan is used to be
more elaborately observed among the Atong Gara, Ganching, Chibok,
dual matchi, Chisak and Awe divisions of the Garos. Amongst the
Garos, the Dances connected with the obsequies of the dead are
the only Dance performed in the Chugan.
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According to the ancient practice of the Garos regarding
disposal of the dead, the body is bathed in chubitchi
(extract of rice-beer). It is dressed in the best of colours
and is made to lay in state open a bed
of Rang, which are placed on arranged heaps of silver coins
for some time. In the meantime, twelve to twenty-one bulls
are killed for the deceased and a funeral pyre of dried wood
is erected in the open front courtyard of the house. The
indestructible spirit of the deceased is believed to be
still with the family in the house until it is sent off
through proper performance of the Chugan.The deceased over
whom it is |
performance is fondly expected to be reborn in the selfsame
sacred motherhood. So the Chugan is but an assertion, pure and
simple, of the spirituality, the immortality and the after-life
of the human soul. It upholds the age-old belief in the Garo
paganism that, on the basic spiritual plane, the laying and the
dead from the same human society and that the spirits of the
dead still remain in atone-mint with the family and the tribe.
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The first night of performance of the Chugan is called Chu
Napa (The Entering in of Rice Beer).As tacitly under stood
by custom and usage, the whole of starting day of the
performance and the following night are entirely lift at the
disposal of unmarried young men and unmarried girls. The
participant fully enjoy their special spree during the
interval , drinking, partaking of KAJI, Dancing and singing
of folk-song, This privilege is more conspicuous among the
Atong division of the Garos.Lapses in morals on the part of
the participants are, however rare on this Occasion. |
In the whole of the staring day and
the follow-night of the performance, Dance by Men, women, boys
and girls are performed alternately inside the house and in the
open front courtyard. By tacit agreement and understanding,
Chugan is sometimes performed simultaneously in six or seven
houses in a village.
January 2008
Pix: Vismathapa Kumar |
