The Manipuri Meitei community’s religious festival ‘Lai Haraoba’ concluded on Friday evening at the Manipuri Cultural Complex in Tetigaon, Adampur, Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar. The three-day celebration began on Wednesday and ended with vibrant performances and rituals reflecting the community’s deep spiritual traditions. According to Manipuri belief, the term ‘Lai Haraoba’ literally means ‘the merrymaking of the gods’ and is regarded as the origin of Manipuri dance.

The festival’s central theme revolved around ancient myths of creation, performed through ritual dances led by traditional priests and priestesses known as Maiba and Maibi. The event began with the invocation of deities from water bodies, followed by performances depicting stages of human life from settlement to death. Organizers described the festival as one of the most significant celebrations of the Manipuri people, symbolizing creation, divinity, cosmology, and harmony through music, chants, and distinctive dance forms such as Maibi Jagoi.

The festival reaffirmed the community’s cultural identity and religious heritage, emphasizing continuity of traditional practices within Bangladesh’s Manipuri population.