Chin Evangelical Baptist Church was far from empty Saturday, Feb. 15. Instead, it was filled wall to wall with Chin culture in all forms, from clothing to food to music.

Every February, Chin people all over the world celebrate the special occasion Chin National Day or CND. Locally, the Chin population of the Southport community recognizes this holiday each year in order to bring light to a prominent and unique culture represented here and across the globe. 

“Chin National Day is a way for Chin people to represent our own cultures and customs,” junior Solomon Lung said.

One way that the community celebrated was a huge event to showcase pride among Chin people at CEBC. The celebration involved showcases of cultural dances, a variety

of foods, youth cultural and modern fashion shows, speeches given by special guests from Myanmar and other forms of entertainment open to all who wished to celebrate.

The purpose of CND is to remember the day the Chin chiefdoms turned into a democracy on Feb. 20, 1948. On the historic day after Myanmar gained its independence from Britain, the General Assembly of Chinland was held at Falam, where the decision was made.

Lung was able to attend the event this year and see the different parts of the Chin culture all in one day. However, for Lung, CND is not just a holiday but a way to preserve the Chin culture.

“It’s also important because most of the Chin kids who grew up in the United States don’t really know how our cultures and customs are, so, it’s a great way for them to experience our culture too,” Lung said.

Junior Bawi Zi Par is someone that appreciates the community events of CND because of how it helps her relate to her culture more. The participants can see parts of Chin culture they miss in daily life.

“It really helps me learn and know more about our own culture through the activities,” Par said. 

Par says she was especially excited to see the ethnic traditional clothes being shown off on stage and the different types of ethnic foods that can be eaten there. 

Van Tuah Piang, one of the organizers, views the holiday as a great opportunity to protect the Chin culture. By seeing other people participate in the celebration, it could help Chin-Americans connect to the traditions more.

“For new generations, this is the day where they can see the richness of Chin culture, such as dances (and) traditional dresses, as a very unique people,” Piang said.

Par also believes that the event is more important for the longevity of Chin traditions. 

“It’s important because the adults are the ones with much more knowledge about our culture which they can pass down to the younger generations,” Par said. 

As an organizer and strong supporter, Piang is already looking into the future of this event. Despite the fact that nobody can know exactly how it will look to future celebrants, Piang sees it continuing to make an impact on Southport as a great way to maintain the culture for years to come.

“I see a bright future for this event,” Piang said. “I think this will help us preserve our culture for a very long time.” 

Lung has wishes that his peers and the younger generation will realize the importance of remembering Chin culture, especially on this holiday each year. 

“Don’t forget (Chin) culture,” Lung said. “(Chin) parents worked really hard to bring (their families) here, and it wouldn’t be OK to just forget about it.”