Pason-Mixed curry

maxresdefault-3Bisu feast is a mixture of cultural and religious festival for Tongchangya people. During the festival they make variety of traditional cakes with sticky rice, and curry. Among them, pasan is a special cuisine prepared during Bisu feast. Pason curry is a mixture of 108 kinds of edible vegetable. It is unknown how old this tradition has been handing down.

Taking a look on the number of 108, we can find philosophical value. In Hinduism, this number is regarded as a mantra when reciting the beads for 108 times. It might look a kind of myth on this number. Again from Buddhist point of view, Venerable Gunaratana interpreted that 108 number is based on 108 aspects of craving: six (6) internal bases and six (6) external bases with the multiplication of three kinds of feelings of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling and three times of past, present and future. This is the core value of preparing the curry with 108 kinds of vegetables.

Moreover, from medical perspective vegetable has nutritious value for physical well-being. It can be a kind of culture but it carries a value oriented well-beings. As the ancient Physician Jivaka observed that there is no plant that can not be used as medicine. Similarly, Tongchangya people prepare ‘pason curry’ which they can able to prevent many kinds of illness by eating pason curry.

In addition, it brings unity among Tongchangya people. During Bisu feast many people go around village where house owner invites for eating pason curry. When people visit house to house there brings a relationship and closer among the people.

Therefore, we can say ‘pason curry’ is not simply a culture. But it has value holistic orientation. It should be practised and continued because it is good for physical well-beings due to nutritious value and mental well-beings for unity among Tongchangya people.

Concise History of Dainak/Tongchangya/Tanchangya

 

1. First Sakyan group arrived in Northern Myanmar at 850 BCE in Tagaung (Myanmar) from central India as Sakya. ( U Pe Maung Tin & G.C Luce, The Glass Palace of the Kings of Myanmar, Yangon: Unity Publication. 2008: 1. (http://www.shanyoma.org/yoma/the-glass-palace-chronicles.pdf)

2. Second Sakyan group arrived in Northern Myanmar called Tagaung around 6th Century BCE as Sakya from Northern India). (Ibid. 3)

3. Due to Chinese attack in 600 BCE the Sakyan moved from Tagaung to Micchagiri (Present Thayet, Magwe, Myanmar) at the bank of Iravati(Ayyawaddy River) from Tagaung. (Ibid:, 309)

4. In 443 BCE Sakyan founded Prome (Present Pye, Bago, Myanmar) (G. E. Harvey, History of Burma, London: Longmans Green and Co, 1926: 307)

5. In 1333-34 CE Arakan king defeated the (Thek) Sakyan king at Micchagiri (present Thayet, Magwe, Myanmar) and took them to Arakan, Western Myanmar and our Sakyan (Thek) become Dainak ( Myanmar Min Aredawbung, Danyawaddy Aredaw Bung: 14)
6. From Arakan or Sa Prye( Pye) around 1364 (it is an estimate date) CE (Common Era)went to the border of Burma and Bangladesh called Toin Gang as Dainak. (Heard from our ancestor)

7. From Toin River Pha Phru led 4000 Dainak with him to Chittagong Hill Tract during Dharam Bux Khan ( Chakma King) and gave them as Toin- Gangya since they went from Toin River ( it is a tributary of Matamuri) Burma-Bangladesh border. The king did not List them as Chakma but took care them as his subjects. ( Biro Kumar Tanchangya, Tanchangya Parichiti (Bandarban: Tanchangya Maha Sommilon, 1995: 21)

8. Our name has recorded by changing from “Toin-Gangya” to Tounjynyas during British India in 19th Century CE. (Lewin, Thomas Herbert, The Hill Tracts of Chittagong and the Dwellers Therein: with comparative vocabularies of the Hill Dialects, Calcutta: Bengal Printing Company Limited, 1869: 62.(https://ia800205.us.archive.org/15/items/cu31924023625936/cu31924023625936.pdf)

9. In 1989, Bangladesh government identified Tanchangya as one of the indigenous communities in Bangladesh. (Rupayan Dewan; Jhum, Dhaka University)

10. Tounjynyas to Tanchangya/ Tongchangya.

Sakya> Dainak> Toin-Gangya> Tounjynyas> Tanchangya/ Tongchangya.

This is our brief history from Sakya to Tanchangya/Tongchangya. We trace this history as our due to our Dainak who has been living in Myanmar since immemorial time. Hope all of you will find interesting. Share your thoughts and comments with us.

Bisu Mela

Bisu Festival is one of the biggest cultural festivals for Tanchangya people. In fact, it is observed mostly who follow the lunar year in the Asian continent. It falls in the month of April,the end of (old) following year and till the first day of Bengali New Year. For Tanchangya people Bisu Mela is a festival for enjoyment and relaxation of the people. Bisu Mela is in Tanchangya language. In every village people enjoy with grandeur festival.

Three Days of Bisu

Traditionally Bisu mela is enjoyed for three days. But in fact, people observed more than three days. They give in technical sense into three names for the three days.

Phul Bisu

It is the first day of Bisu festival which begins from the last second day of the previous year. During this day people go down to the rivers and offer flowers and candles. They believe that by offering flowers and candles to the Mother Ganga (river) they can live with healthy and wealthy in their family by driving away all the misfortunes. Indeed, this believe is handed down from Hinduism.

Mul Bisu

It is the second day of Bisu festival in the last day of the following year. In these days people cook variety types of vegetables and even they said that one hundred and-eight kinds. After cooking they invite to the guests and serve them. There is also a belief that by eating the varieties of vegetables curry that they can cure many diseases. They also make many kinds of traditional foods known as “Pason Chon” to serve to the guests whoever visit to their houses.

Nawa-Bawsaw

It is the third day of Bisu festival in the first day of the New Year (Bhoisak of Bengali year). This is the last day of the festival. People used to go to Temples and they observed Buddha Puja etc. There is an idea behind it after the festivals are over they used to drinking wine in the evening and the people cannot lift up their head which is like lying down for the literal meaning. Therefore, they called it as Guchye-puya-Bisu.

Pason Chon

In this days people cook a variety types of vegetables even one hundred and-eight kinds. After cooking they invite to the guests and serve them. There is also a belief that by eating the varieties of vegetables curry (Pason Chon) they can cure many diseases.

Culture and Custom

People wear with their nice traditional dress and visit to the monastery. They take five precepts and do many good deeds by cleaning the monastery, pagoda and the surrounding of the village path. Some people observe the eight precepts and they spent their time by listening Dhamma discourse, and meditation.

Bisu mela is a traditional and sacred festival for Tanchangya people. It comes only once in a year. After the festival people long to come the next Bisu mela again.