When is YMA Day?
YMA Day is a regional public holiday in the Indian state of Mizoram on June 15th each year.
This holiday commemorates the establishment of an important voluntary association in the state on this day in 1935.
History of YMA Day
The Young Mizo Association (YMA) is the largest non-profit, secular and non-governmental organisation of the Mizo people.
There are over 250,000 members of the YMA, with over 700 branches all over Mizoram and beyond to the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.
The YMA was formed on June 15th 1935, by the Welsh Christian missionaries based on similar organisations in the UK. The original name was the Young Lushai Association. The name was changed to the "Young Mizo Association" in 1947.
The YMA has three aims and objectives:
- Good use of leisure,
- Development of the Mizo society, and
- Revere Christian ethics.
It also has ten commitments:
- Self-discipline and righteousness
- Good management of family
- Just and truthfulness
- Tolerance
- Politeness
- Chivalry and usefulness
- Social commitment
- Respect for religion
- Preservation of culture
- Abstinence from liquor and drugs
