Missionary Day observed in Mizoram

Mizoram on Monday observedMissionary Day to commemorate the 127th anniversary of thearrival of two Welsh missionaries in the state in 1894.

All government offices and some businessestablishments remained closed as the administration declareda public holiday.

Though worship service could not be held due toCOVID-19 restrictions, some people offered prayers at thememorial stones of Welsh missionaries Reverend J H Lorrain andF W Savidge, fondly called by Mizos as 'Pu Buanga' and 'SapUpa' respectively, at McDonald Hills in Aizawl.

The missionaries had set foot on the banks of TlawngRiver near Sairang village in the then Lushai Hills on January11, 1894.

Gradually, all Mizos converted to Christianity undertheir influence.

They created the Lushai (Mizo)-English dictionary andestablished the Presbyterian Church in north Mizoram andBaptist Church in the southern part of the state.

They also spread education by creating Mizo alphabetsusing the Roman script.

The Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM) began observingMissionary Day from 1971 onwards, while the PresbyterianChurch, the largest denomination in the state, began observingit from 1974.