awakening,
charismatic movement or revival movement. This study attempts to reflect such
movements in Maraland in order to make apparent an indigenous perspective. On the
whole the revival movement in Maraland should be understood as an antidote to
the relentless process of westernization.
The
term “revival” as used in this study refers to a phenomena marked by a state of
excitement accompanied by enthusiastic activities of singing, body movements,
preaching and even of social action. The revival joy is expressed by ecstatic
actions including dancing and varying forms, singing new songs to the
accompaniment of traditional drums, feasting, community gathering and group
preaching. While it may share features found in charismatic and Pentecostal
movements, revival in Maraland has assumed a distinctive indigenous form and is
closely related to Mara Christian identity. Ahrahna, the Mara term for
revival literally means liveliness or sprightliness. Its cognate term alyna means
joy or happiness. Generally speaking the two terms denote not only a negative
state of being awakened or revived from a state of slumbering or slackening but
a more positive sense of being energised and endowed for a task. It is the
source of the dynamics of all aspects of Mara Christian life.
1.1.Revival
in Maraland
As
already mentioned in the previous chapter, the colonial power came to Maraland
in 1891 followed by the Christian missionaries in 1907 and revival happened in
Maraland when the two powerful alien systems, the imperial government and the
church had been installed in Maraland. The former aimed at securing peace, law
and order while the latter aimed at converting the Maras from their traditional
primal beliefs to those of the Christian religion as interpreted from their
stand point. The whole social structure had been dislocated and the people, of
necessity, addressed themselves to responding to the changes brought about by
the two systems. Yet having been deprived of the minimal weapons they had to
preserve their identity and autonomy, the revival movement came as the means
available to them with which to respond to the religious changes in particular
and social change in general.
1.1.1.
Revival
Stirrings
Revival
is said to have started in Maraland on December 26, 1934.[1]
Though Christmas celebration was over, a meeting was organized again for
praising God on that day and it is said that hymn singing took hold of the
whole congregation. The song goes like this:
“A mayhlaw nohdi pha ry lia,
Pachha sawzy pahâ aw ei.
Ama hmia lâ chhâzaw lyna, ama hmô ti
aly aw ei.”[2]
That
was followed by confession of all kinds of sins by a number of people and the
whole congregation began to sing a ringing hymn of victory with great rejoicing
by waving their hands, swaying their bodies, and many keeping time with their
feet. They were filled with joy of tears which they had never experienced
before. The most prominent feature was conviction, confession of personal sins,
and longing for heaven-the dwelling place of God.
Most
of the writers of Mara history agreed upon the fourth dates on which revival
stirrings came to Maraland on a large scale during the first seventy years of
Christianity. The years 1934, 1946, 1951 and the 1987’s have been identified as
the first, second, third and fourth revivals.
The
emergence of the revival movements inaugurated a new era in the growth and
development of Christianity in Maraland. The Mara Christians in the East
(Myanmar) and the West (India) thus joined hands in welcoming the revival
stirrings. Several individuals had a new feeling through their experience of
the Holy Spirit and joined Christianity on their own initiative. Firstly, the
significance of the revivals was recognized as the main turning point in the
growth of Christianity among the Maras. It is claimed that the entire
population of the Maras became Christians in about sixty years. The Revival
movement has been credited for this rapid increase in the number of Mara
Christians.
Secondly,
revival movements brought a new dimension into Mara Christianity; spontaneity
gives deeper feeling of the Spirit and this helps them to freely participate in
worship and other activities of the church. And their experience of revival
further leads to a new sense of ownership and gained new confidence that
Christianity belonged to them and the church herself was also their own. This
new sense of ownership as well as belonging to one another in the church was a
result of revival and gave them strength to grow up in maturity and
spontaneity.
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