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Yaosang is a festival celebrated in Manipur for five days in spring, starting on the full moon day of the month of Lamda (February–March). Yaosang combines Hindu and indigenous traditions of the Meitei people. It is identified with the festival of Holi and is considered the most important festival in Manipur. Like Holi, the Hindu Meitei of Manipur play with colours during this festival.
Yaosang begins just after sunset in every village with the Yaosang Mei thaba, or Burning of the Straw Hut. Then the children ask at every house for monetary donations, called nakatheng. On the second day, groups of local bands perform sankirtan in the Govindagee Temple in the Imphal-East district of Manipur. On the second and third days, girls go to their relatives for their nakatheng and block roads with ropes for collecting money. On the fourth and fifth days, people pour or splash water on one another.
Another feature of this festival is Thabal Chongba (Dancing in the Moonlight). Males from various places will come to the site of the festival and dance in circles with the females, holding their hands. In 2016, this occurred March 23-24.
The locals also engage in feasting to celebrate this festival of merrymaking. Of late, there has been a trend of channelling the festive energy toward sporting events to spot out talents at the grassroot level, which is in line with the rich sporting spirit of the Manipuris.
Sports
The most important aspect of Yaosang is the five-day-long sports festival in every nook and corner of the state. This is the most remarkable difference between the Holi festival in Manipur and other parts of the country.
On the first day of Yaosang, local clubs organize and visit the sacred Kangla Fort for lighting of the torch to inaugurate the sports meet. The sports consist primarily of games which are easy to play and fun to watch, like spoon racing, mathematical racing, tug of war, soccer and many others. On the last day, however, every club usually organizes a half marathon, which is a part of the festival never to be missed.