Ningol Chakouba food is the feast a Manipuri family cooks on one fixed festival day, when brothers formally invite their married sisters home and the whole state celebrates together. The table is usually built around fish: nga thongba (fish curry), eromba (a mashed chilli chutney), boiled vegetables, ooti and, often, a purple chak-hao kheer to finish. The festival falls on the second day of the Meitei month of Hiyangei, which comes in October or November [1][2].
Quick facts
- What: Ningol Chakouba (also spelt Ningol Chakkouba), a family reunion feast. Ningol means a married daughter or sister; chakouba means an invitation to a meal [2][3].
- Who: Mainly the Meitei community of Manipur, now joined by many other communities [2].
- When: Day 2 of Hiyangei in the Meitei lunar calendar (October–November). It was held on 23 October in 2025 [4]. For 2026, holiday lists differ: 11 November or 12 November (see below).
- Where: Across Manipur, and in Meitei communities in Assam, other Indian cities and abroad [1].
- Signature dishes: nga thongba, eromba, laphu eromba, chamfut, soibum thongba, ooti and chak-hao kheer [2][5].
What is Ningol Chakouba?
Ningol Chakouba is a state-wide festival built around one invitation: a brother asks his married sister to come home for a meal. Married daughters visit their parents all year, of course. What sets this day apart is the ritual. About a week before, a son of the family formally invites his sister back to her parents’ house, the mapam, for a meal [1][2].
On the day, the daughters arrive in their best traditional clothes, often with their children, carrying fruit and sweets for the family [2][3]. They eat together, and after the meal the parents and brothers give gifts, usually clothes, while the daughters bless the family in return [2]. The festival has no specific religious ritual. It is a social celebration of family ties [1], and the Manipur government observes it as a state holiday [2].
It also has a second name, Hiyangei Nini Paanba, which simply means “the second day of Hiyangei” [1].
When is Ningol Chakouba in 2026?
Ningol Chakouba 2026 falls on 11 or 12 November, depending on which list you follow. Because the date comes from the Meitei lunar calendar, it moves every year.
The published holiday lists we checked disagree. NIT Manipur’s 2026 holiday list and greytHR’s Manipur list show Wednesday, 11 November [6][7]. CalendarLabs and factoHR show Thursday, 12 November [8][9]. If you are planning travel or a delivery, check the Manipur government’s final notification or ask your family’s elders. In 2025 the festival was held on 23 October [4].
How did Ningol Chakouba begin?
According to the MyGov account, the feast began as a meal for a brother, not a sister. In the reign of King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, Queen Laisana is said to have invited her brother Poireiton to the palace for a yearly feast, then called Piba Chakouba [2].
The same account says that in the 19th century, King Chandrakirti Singh turned it around and began inviting his sisters instead, because visiting each of their homes in one day was hard. That is when it came to be called Ningol Chakouba [2]. We found this story in one government source, so treat it as tradition rather than recorded history.
Ningol Chakouba food: what is served at the feast?
Fish is the heart of the meal. A 2019 report from Imphal noted that fish curry, in several forms, was the main dish in most homes [3]. Around it sit chutneys, boiled vegetables, a lentil dish and a sweet. Here are the dishes named most often [2][5]:
Nga thongba (fish curry)
The centrepiece. Nga means fish and thongba means curry. It is a freshwater fish curry cooked in mustard oil with onion, green chilli, peas and herbs such as culantro and hooker chives. Much of its flavour comes from heiribob, a dried citrus peel [10]. Wikipedia lists Ningol Chakouba among the feasts where it is regularly served [10]. MyGov names sareng and rohu as the fish families choose [2]. Onmanorama describes a version where the fish is mashed into the gravy [11].
Eromba (mashed chilli chutney)
MyGov calls eromba a “must” at the feast [2]. It is made by boiling vegetables such as potato or yongchak (stink bean, Parkia speciosa) with chillies, then mashing them by hand. It can be made with or without ngari, Manipur’s fermented fish [12]. Laphu eromba is a version made with banana stem [2]. In our Assamese kitchen, eromba reminds us of pitika, our own mashed side dish, only bolder.
Chamfut, ooti and soibum thongba
Chamfut is simply boiled vegetables, a gentle counterweight to the chillies [2]. Ooti is a classic vegetarian dish of pulses or peas cooked until partly mashed, often with a pinch of baking soda [5][13]. Soibum thongba is a curry of soibum, fermented bamboo shoot, which is to Manipur what khorisa is to Assam [2][13].
Chak-hao kheer (black rice pudding)
Many families end the meal with chak-hao kheer, a pudding of Manipur’s black rice cooked in milk [5][11]. Onmanorama calls it a favourite dessert after feasts [11]. If you want to try it at home, our guide to Chak-hao black rice and how to cook it has the method.
How can you celebrate Ningol Chakouba away from Manipur?
Families outside Manipur keep the feast going, often as a community meal. Ningol Chakouba is celebrated by Meitei communities in Assam, Bangladesh and Myanmar, in cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Shillong and Silchar, and as far away as Canada, South Korea and Japan [1].
If you can’t make the trip home, a few simple ideas:
- Cook one dish properly instead of five in a hurry. Nga thongba with hot rice is the one most people miss.
- Make eromba with whatever is in season, and with or without ngari, as families do [12].
- Call your brother before he calls you. The invitation is the heart of the day [2].
- Send a food gift that can sit on the family table for weeks after the feast.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ningol Chakouba?
Ningol Chakouba is a Manipuri festival where married daughters and sisters are invited back to their parents’ home for a grand feast. It is mainly celebrated by the Meitei community, falls on the second day of the lunar month Hiyangei, and ends with gifts from parents and brothers.
When is Ningol Chakouba in 2026?
Published 2026 holiday lists disagree. NIT Manipur and greytHR list Wednesday, 11 November 2026, while CalendarLabs and factoHR list Thursday, 12 November. The date follows the Meitei lunar calendar, so check the Manipur government’s final notification. In 2025 it fell on 23 October.
What food is served at Ningol Chakouba?
The feast centres on fish, especially nga thongba (fish curry). Common dishes include eromba (a mashed chilli chutney, with or without fermented fish), laphu eromba (banana stem), chamfut (boiled vegetables), ooti, soibum thongba (fermented bamboo shoot curry) and chak-hao kheer, a black rice pudding.
Who invites the daughters on Ningol Chakouba?
Traditionally a son of the family, the daughter’s brother, invites her, usually about a week before the festival. On the day she comes to her parents’ home, often with her children, dressed in traditional clothes and carrying fruit and sweets. After the meal, parents and brothers give gifts.
Is Ningol Chakouba a religious festival?
No. Ningol Chakouba is a social festival about family bonds rather than worship. It celebrates the tie between married women, their brothers and their parental family. It is a state holiday in Manipur and is also celebrated by Meitei communities across India and abroad.
Taste it
Heading home for a family feast this season? Our Best of Assam Gift Box holds all six GHARSA pickles from our Assamese kitchen, including Khorisa (bamboo shoot) and Original Bhoot Jholokia, for a spoonful beside the rice.
Best of Assam Gift Box → | All gift boxes | Want us to stock Manipuri ingredients like black rice or ngari? Join the list on WhatsApp
Image credits
- Featured image: Traditional Manipuri thali and side dishes, by Goumisao, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
- Ningol Chakkouba 2015 at Delhi, by Paste Media, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
- Yongchak eromba, by Punshiba18, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
- Best of Assam Gift Box: GHARSA.
Sources
- “Ningol Chakkouba”, Wikipedia (used as a pointer). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ningol_Chakkouba
- “Ningol Chakouba – The festival of family reunion that signifies Manipur’s rich cultural heritage”, MyGov Blog, Government of India. blog.mygov.in
- “Ningol Chakouba celebrated in Manipur”, NE Now, 31 October 2019. nenow.in
- “Manipur celebrates Ningol Chakouba, strengthening family bonds across the state”, All India Radio News, 23 October 2025. newsonair.gov.in
- “Ningol Chakouba: a social festival where married daughters are invited home”, Humans of Northeast. humansofnortheast.com
- Holiday List 2026, National Institute of Technology Manipur. nitmanipur.ac.in (PDF)
- “Manipur Holidays 2026”, greytHR. greythr.com
- “Ningol Chakouba in 2026”, CalendarLabs. calendarlabs.com
- “Manipur Holidays List for 2026”, factoHR. factohr.com
- “Nga thongba”, Wikipedia (used as a pointer). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nga_thongba
- “From fish to fish: 5 must-have delicacies from Manipur”, Onmanorama, 30 June 2018. onmanorama.com
- “Eromba”, Wikipedia (used as a pointer). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eromba
- “Manipuri cuisine”, Wikipedia (used as a pointer). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipuri_cuisine
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