Aw Bethlehem!

Aizawl-ah Bethlehem Vênga awm. Mizoram khaw pakhata nu pakhat hming chu Laledenbethlehemi a ni. South Africa leh Pennsylvania-ah te hian Bethlehem city a awm tlat. Bethlehem church te hi khawvêl hmun tinah a awm emaw tih tur a ni hial mai. Connecticut-a khaw pakhat chu ‘Bethlehem, the Christmas Town’ an ti kher! Hmun, ram, in leh zirna hmun, Bethlehem hming chawi hi khawvêlah a ṭhahnem khawp mai. Krismas boruakin min han tuam tak tak hi chuan mi tam zâwkin kan la hmuh ngai rêng rêng loh, Bethlehem ngai hian kan kûr ṭhin a nih hi! Chutiang taka Kristiante thinlung luahtu, khaw namên lo tak mai chanchin sawi hi thil tihâwm tak ni ve tlata hriatna ka nei a. Mizopa ngaihtuahna aṭangin, a vate khawthlîrin Bethlehem leh a chheh vêl i’n thlir thuak thuak teh ang.

Bethlehem tlâng
Bethlehem tlâng tih kher hi chu kan Bible-ah kan hmu lo. Mizo thinlungah erawh ‘Bethlehem tlang’ hi a chiang riau. Davida pianna leh lal atâna hriak thih a nihna hmun, Jerusalem aṭanga mêl nga leh a chanve a hla, ‘Davida Khawpui’ tia sawi ṭhin hi a nêp lo, a tê ber tawp lo.

Hmânah, BC 700 vêla zawlnei Mika’n he khuaa ‘Awptu’ a lo pian tûr thu a hrilh lâwk aṭang phei kha chuan Bethlehem hian mi ngaihven a hlawh lehzual a. A hrilh lâwk ang ngeia Lal Isua a lo pian tâk aṭang phei chuan khaw thianghlim, khaw ropui leh hmingthang, Krismas vuakvêtah phei chuan ngai êm êma kan kûrpui ṭhin khaw ngainatawm a lo ni ta. A khua te hmuin la tlawh ve lo mah i la, Mizo thinlungah chuan ‘Bethlehem tlângpui’ hi a inkham ruah reng mai a nih hi.

Bethlehem Khualbûk
Khualbuk zawng zawng zingah hian khualbuk hmingthang chu a va ni êm! Lal Isua thlenna pawh ni lo, a thlen tâk lohna kha a ni chauh leh nghal a! Isua kha thleng ta phei se, eng tiang taka hmun pawimawh nge a nih zui ang aw?

Professor pakhat Todd Bolen chuan khualbûk tih hi lehlin dik lo a ni, a ti tlat mai. “Greek tawnga kataluma tih hi man chawia thlenna khualbûk (inn) ni lovin, mikhual pindan (guest room), hmun thenkhata ‘pindan chungnung’ tia kan hmuh sawina zâwk a ni a, he thu mal hi khualbûk sawi nân Luka’n a hmang ngai lo,” a ti. Hming ziak tûra mahni khua ṭheuhva kal kha an ni a. Josefa pawh Bethlehem khaw chhuak a nih avânga he khua hi pan an ni.

An khaw hlui a ni bawk a, an chhûngte chu an han pan ve ngei a, mahse an ‘mikhual pindan’-ah hmun an chang tlat lo. Eng nge a chhan? Josefa te nupa kha Juda dânah nupa tak (legitimate couple) an nih loh avângin an chhûngte hian an lo pawm thei lo a ni, an ti. ‘Khualbûk vêngtu’ tih Bible-a a inziak lo chunga “Khualbuk vêngtu i ui lo’m ni…?” tia kan ṭap pêr pûr mai ṭhin te hi kan lo ti dik ngut na nge maw? Eng pawh ni se, Chungnungberin a thilsiam khawvêlah thlen in a hnawng tih erawh kan chiang.

Bethlehem Bawng In
Kan Bible-in Isua pianna kha bâwng in a ni tih a sawi lo, bâwng in a ni lo tih a sawi chuang bawk hek lo. ‘Ran chaw pekna thlêng’ chauh sawi mah se, bâwng hi an ran vulh pawimawhte zînga mi a nih ve avângin bâwng in a ni lo, kan ti ngawt thei chuang hek lo. In chhawng hnuai bera an ran vulh hlu bik an dah thinna a nih a rinawm thu erawh mithiamten an sawi. Mahse, kan hla phuahtu leh letlingtute hian engtia bâwng in lo ti tlat mai nge maw an nih ang aw?

Eng in pawh ni se, mihring chênna tûra ngaih loh, ran in-a khawvêl chhan­damtu a piang tlat mai hi mak zawng a mak a ni! Kan Lalpa pianna hi bâwng in a lo ni chiah lo a nih pawhin he Mizo Kristian thinlungah hi chuan ‘a pianna Bethlehem bâwng in tlâwm,’ a ni reng fo vang. Hetah, kan thinlung bâwng inah hian a piang tlat alawm!

Bethlehem Arsî
Bethlehem hian ama pualin arsî a nei em ni? Khawvêla arsi hmingthang ber hian Bethlehem hming a chawi tlat. Hmu ve hawt lo paw’n ‘Bethlehem arsi êng mâwi’ tiin kan han kûr ngaih ngaih zêl mai a nia! Mifingte khân an fin man an têl chiang khawp mai. Isua an hmuh bâkah he Bethlehem arsî avâng hian dai leh tawh ngai lo tûrin an hming an chher!

Bethlehem arsi hi eng nge a nih chiah, tih chungchângah zir mite ngaihdân a thuhmun lo. German astronomer Johannes Keplera’n BC 6 vêla Jupiter leh Saturn intawhna avânga arsi êng thut lo awm (nova) chungchâng a sawi te, Korean leh Chinese arsi zir mite’n BC 5 vêla nova emaw simeikhu emaw a lan ngei thu an sawi te, mithiam ṭhenkhatin hun eng emaw chen lo lang ṭhin Uranus chu Bethlehem arsî nia an rin thute hian beng a verh hle. Thil tak tak ni lo, Kristian hmasaten an chher chawp (myth) mai mai nia ngai pâwl an awm bawk.

Eng pawh chu lo ni rawh se, Bethle­hem arsî hi kan thinlungah a fiah. Kan Lalpa pianna kawhhmuhtu arsi ropui a ni a, lei leh vân lal ber a piang a ni tih min hrilhtu ‘Bethlehem arsi êng mâwi ber’ a ni reng dawn!

Bethlehem dai reh
A hming aṭang ringawt pawh hian lung a lêng nghâl ruih thei nia! Hei pawh hi dai zawng zawnga dai hming­thang ber a ni chiang khawp ang. He daiah hian a ni, khawvêla Krismas hmasa ber chu lawm a lo nih!

Vantlâng mawngphaha awm beram­pute, thlasik dai fîm hnuaia ngui tak leh khawhar taka an lo awm lai mêk chuan kha ‘Bethlehem dai rehah’ khân he leia Krismas lawmna ropui ber mai chu a thleng! Chatuan khua a vâr ta! Berampute’n ropui an hmu! He nau piangin a rawn thlen Chanchin Ṭha hi ‘mi tin ta tûr' a ni tlat. Chu chu mi’n a dawn tawh chuan, he thinlung ‘Bethlehem dai khawharah’ hian Krismas ropui a thleng reng mai ṭhin a lo ni.

Chutichuan…
J.F. Wadea’n “Hlimin leh lâwm takin Bethlehem khaw lamah chuan lo haw rawh u’ tia ringtute min sâwmna chu Patea’n, “Aw Bethlehem tlâng ka thlen hma chuan châwl lovin ka kal ang,” tiin min lo chhân sak tawh a. Hei hi kan hlâ ni kumkhua se. La hmu miah lo pawhin inthlahrung miah lovin, “Aw nang Bethlehem ka va ngai tak che em!” i ti vawng vawng mai ang u. Bethlehem hi zawng, mita hmuha fiah a ni lo va, a hmuna kala chiang a ni hek lo. Thinlunga thleng fiah chi a ni.

- Rev. Remlalfaka