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Imoinu Iratpa
Imoinu Iratpa
	Imoinu Ahongbi, goddess of wealth
Observed by	Meitei people
Type	Religious
Celebrations	Lights being lit up at every households
Observances	Prayers
Date	12th lunar day of Wakching month of Meitei calendar
Frequency	Annual

Imoinu Iratpa or Emoinu Iratpa or Wakching Taranithoini Pānba is a religious festival celebrated by the Meitei people. It is a festival of lights dedicated to the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Imoinu Ahongbi. The festival is celebrated on the twelfth lunar day of Wakching month of Meitei calendar. The festival is celebrated in Manipur, Assam and Tripura states in North Eastern India and observed by some in the neighboring Myanmar. The festival involves sacrifices and prayers to the goddess, followed by various other cultural events.

Etmology

Iratpa means "sacrifice" and Imoinu Iratapa translates to "sacrifice to the goddess Imoinu" in Meitei language.^[1] The festival is also known as Wakching Taranithoini Paanba, which translates to the "twelfth day of Wakching" (Taranithoini meaning "twelfth day" and Panba meaning "to be"), referring to the day on which the festival is celebrated.^[2]

Background

The festival is dedicated to mother goddess Imoinu Ahongbi.^[3] Goddess Imoinu or Emoinu is considered as the goddess of wealth and prosperity, peace, wisdom, vitality and resources.^[4] Imoinu is believed to be an incarnation of Leimarel Sidabi, wife of Supreme God Sidaba. Leimarel Sidabi is the first woman and she created the second Leimarel, who was to take care of the human beings on earth, who was named as Imoinu Ahongbi.^[5] According to a Meitei mythology, goddess Emoinu visits earth every year on the day and visits every home to shower her blessings.^[3] According to Meitei history, the worship of Emoinu began in the fifth century CE when the royal family worshiped the goddess and later by the 15th century CE, the common people also began to worship her.^[3]

Occurrence

Imoinu Iratapa is celebrated on the 12th of lunar day of the Wakching month of the Meitei calendar.^[6]^[3] It usually falls on the month of December-January in the Gregorian calendar.^[7]

Observance

Imoinu Iratapa is a festival of lights, celebrated by the Meitei people following the traditional religion Sanamahism.^[6]^[8] The festival is also observed by Meitei people, who follow other religions such as Hinduism.^[3] The festival is celebrated in Manipur, Assam and Tripura states in North Eastern India.^[9]^[10] It is also observed by some of the people settled in the neighboring Myanmar.^[4] It is a public holiday in Manipur.^[7]

Practices

During the festival, people offer rice, vegetables, fruits and sweets to the goddess Imoinu.^[4] At night time, people light candles and other decorated lights are put up in the streets.^[3]^[6] A good meal with fish curry as the main dish is offered to the deity at the funga lairu, the traditional fire place in the kitchen.^[3] Apart from worship at individual homes, various rituals are also organized at the community level.^[3] The day is marked through prayers to the goddess, followed by various other cultural events. It also features a religious procession the night before the formal prayers. The procession is led by Maibas and Maibis, wherein the idol of goddess Imoinu is taken to Meitei households amongst song and music.^[11]

The people perform music from the traditional musical instrument pena and traditional dances like Khamba Thoibi and Maibi Jagoi. Tales about the goddess Imoinu are told and songs are sung invoking the deity.^[12] Traditional martial art performance of Thang-Ta using a sword (Thang) and a spear (Ta) is also performed.^[11]

Since 2022, a fish fair or fish festival is being organized as a part of the festival, in the days leading up the main festival day.^[13] The Emoinu fish festival is conducted to procure the necessary fish for the festival and encourage aquaculture.^[2]

References

^ Kirti Singh, Moirangthem (1998). Recent Researches in Oriental Indological Studies Including Meiteilogy. Parimal Publications. p. 65.
^ ^a ^b "Fish fair at Emoinu Festival on Jan 3 in Manipur". North-East Affairs. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Ngangbam, Indrakanta (3 January 2015). "Meiteis celebrate Emoinu". Telegraph India. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Imoinu Eratpa festival celebrated across Manipur". Imphal Free Press. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "Emoinu Ahongbi Thounirol (A Traditional adoration to Goddess Emoinu)". E-pao. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Significance of Imoinu Eratpa Festival for people of Manipur". Imphal Free Press. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b "What is Imoinu Iratpa and Why is it a Bank Holiday in Imphal?". News18. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ K.R. Gupta; Amita Gupta, eds. (2006). Concise Encyclopaedia of India. Atlantic Publishers. p. 1198. ISBN 978-8-126-90639-0.
^ India, a Reference Annual. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 2014. p. 998.
^ Khumukcham, Rinku (17 January 2019). "CM wishes on Ima Imoinu Iratpa numit". Imphal Times. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Imoinu Iratapa observed, 2023 held". E-pao. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "Imoinu Iratpa extensively held all over". E-pao. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
^ "First Imoinu Fish Festival, 2023 held". E-pao. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.