Miss Wokha, Miss Tokhu
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NorthEastOnline FestivalsOfIndia NagalandPost 25 Jul. 2012 NagalandPost 10 Nov. 2012 Nagalim Ete Kyong Naga Models
Wokha
Wokha is a town in Nagaland and headquarters of Wokha district. The Lotha community predominates the district.
Wokha is at 1313 metres/ 4793 feet, which makes it very cold in winter and cool in summer.
For tourists: The beauty of this town in the middle-mountains has been emphasised in all the photographs on this page, from the open air rock concert at night to the dance at the 'local ground' by day to the Miss Wokha 2012 contestants sitting on a bridge with the river behind them.
The 21st century population of the Lothas is 80000. Kyong, Kyou, Ndreng and Tsontsu are Lotha names and dialects. The Lothas were a migratory people. So, they used to assemble and conduct a wokha (census) at this town before their seasonal migration to other villages. That is how the town got its name.
Nearest cities (for Wokha): Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung.
Coordinates: 26°5'42"N 94°15'21"E
The Kyong people
Kyong (or Kyon) was a Shan state in the Myelat region of Myanmar. Wokha is the traditional home of the Kyong tribe. Kyongs are renowned for their colourful dances and folk songs. The male members of the Kyong tribe of Nagaland wear shawls indicating their social status. The prestigious social shawl for women is Opvuram and Longpensu for men.
Like many Nagas, the Lothas practised headhunting in the older days. But, after the arrival of Christianity, they gave up this practice. Though the majority of the Kyongs are Baptist, there exist a moderate amount of other forms of Christianity like the Catholics. Catholics are concentrated more in Wokha than in other parts of Nagaland.
Tokhu Emong and Pikhuchak are the main festivals. (From Ete Kyong)
Beauty and personality contests
Miss Wokha: 2006
The 'Miss Wokha' pageant was held. It is organised by the 'Old Timers Women Society' and Kyong Eloe Hoho.
Miss Tokhu
The Lotha community celebrates the Tokhu Emong festival for nine days after the harvest. Since the mid-20th century the daetes have been fixed at 7-15 November.
People wear traditional finery, express gratitude for each other, forgive old grudges and make friends with those they have had differences with. They oragnise feasts, and eat sing and dance with friends and relatives. They also give and receive gifts of food and drinks.
November 6, 2008: Beauty pageant turns into nightmare
The Miss Tokhu beauty pageant, a part of the Tokhu Emong celebrations in Wokha town, that was meant to showcase beauty turned out to be an nightmare for many as the show was marred by violence, forcing the organizers to cancel the pageant in the final moment Thursday night here at Wokha local ground.
Organizers of the Tokhu Emong beauty pageant said at least 5000 people had gathered at the town’s only public ground. Also, the Tokhu Emong festival’s annual beauty pageant was being held and was already in the final rounds of question-and-answer when the chaos broke out. One of the performing participants said that the contestants of the beauty pageants were left alone on the stage, screaming and huddling in terror as the firing commenced, scattering the gathered populace. A good extent of properties has been damaged in the stampede while an unascertained number of citizens were seen injured.
According to sources, the pageant was in the final lap when there was some scuffle between some youths and security forces outside the venue.
According to Wokha police who carried out a preliminary enquiry after a complaint was filed by proprietor of Hotel Ni-li, one jawan (soldier), (according to some reports, two jawans), along with two ladies had gone to the hotel Wednesday around 2 p.m and asked the manager for a room to stay.
When the manager told the jawan that all the rooms were booked for the day, the trio, instead of leaving, sat down in the hotel and started consuming liquor and after sometime the jawan again demanded a room, police said. As the manager reiterated his inability to allot any room, The jawan reportedly started threatening the manager by saying that he would come back the next day. On hearing the jawan’s threat, an unidentified person beat up the jawan, who then left the hotel accompanied by the two women.
Miss Tokhu 2008
However, the show went on. Four days later, on November 10, Chumlano Kikon was crowned Miss Tokhu Emong 2008 at Hornbill Restaurant, Wokha. Chumlano Ezung and Thungbeni Kithan were first and second runners-up.
Chumlano Kikon is a Dimapur resident and then a BA II student of SD Jain Girls’ College, 1st runner up Chumlano Ezung and 2nd runner up Thungbeni Kithan, schoolgirls both, were Class-X students.
The sub-titles: Miss Beautiful Eyes: Grace kikon; Miss Beautiful Hair: Nyanchumi Lotha; Miss Talent: Zuchobeni Ngullie; Miss Beautiful Smile: Meribeni Humtsoe; Miss Personality: Jasmine Shitiri; Miss Traditional Attire: Chumlano Ezung; Miss Dancing Queen: Thungbeni Kithan; Miss Congeniality: Yanbeni Murry; Miss Fresh Face: Therali Murry; Miss Perfect 10: Meriyani Patton; Miss Beautiful Skin: Mhayani Ezung; Miss Modern Attire: Chumlano Kikon; Miss Beautiful Legs: Christie Kikon; Miss Photogenic and Best Evening Gown: Mhayani Humtsoe.
Miss Tokhu 2010
See photograph. Readers might like to send in details.
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Miss Wokha: 2012
The Miss Wokha pageant was revived after six years on November 10 at the Wokha Town local ground. An audience of thousands sat through the two hour show on the very chilly November evening at the local ground.
Instead of 'Tokhu Loroe' there was only a ‘Miss Wokha’ pageant Partners for the 2012 including DEF Wokha, Agriculture department Wokha and Forest Department.
The prizes were i) 'Miss Wokha': Rs. 30,000; ii) and iii) the first and the second runner up: Rs.20,000 and Rs.15,000 respectively. All three got gift hampers. Rs.5,000 each was given to the sub-title holders.
Mhonyani Ovung, a 22-year-old law student, won the district’s top prize. What clinched the title during the final round was when she said that she would choose “faith” over “fortune” as the former assures success whereas “fortune” was only momentary.
Mhabeni Ezung and Benchilo were the first and second runners-up.
The ‘sub-title’ winners were - Miss Photogenic & Beautiful Skin Nchumbeni Ezung (sash no. 09), Miss Congeniality, Best Evening Gown and Best Ramp Walk Mhonyani (01), Miss Beautiful Hair Ebibeni (08), Best Ethnic Wear Mhabeni Ezung (10), Miss. Beautiful Body Meribeni (06), Miss Talented Veronica(07) and Best Smile Mhayani (04).
Indian Idol 3 (2007) winner Prashant Tamang , singer-songwriter Mengu Soukhrie, former Miss Nagaland Lipokla Christina and Eyilobeni Murry, 2nd runner up of the NE Winter Fall Get Gorgeous (2011) were among the guests, judges performers, and choreographers of the show.
Miss Wokha 2013
See Miss Wokha 2013
Qualifications
Kyong Eloe Hoho, Wokha, has stipulated that interested Kyong Loroe in the state who have studied upto or above 10+2 can take part in the pageant. The winner represents the district in the Miss Nagaland beauty pageant, held a month later.
Application forms are available at the Hornbill Hotel Wokha.
See also
Other articles about North-East Indian popular culture:
Cinema
The link Cinema-TV-Pop at the bottom of this page will lead you to a fuller list of articles about the cinemas of North-East India (and other South Asian regions). Indpaedia has a large number of articles about Assamese and Manipuri cinema. Assamese cinema Manipuri Cinema North-Eastern cinema
Popular music
Lou Majaw Mami Varte Sourabhee Debbarma
Fashion
Akuonuo Khezhie Atsu Sekhose Edward Lalrempuia Esther Jamir Lin Laishram Miss Arunachal Miss Mizoram Miss Nagaland Miss Wokha, Miss Tokhu
