In those early days, the missionaries struggled to bridge the gap between Western musical structures and traditional Mizo "Hla" (poetry). The first hymns were not original Mizo compositions but rather translations of popular English revival songs. Candidates for the "Hmasa Ber" (The First)
: Before preaching, they codified the Mizo language into the Roman script. Early Translations mizo kristian hla hmasa ber better
To decide which early hymn is "better," we must look beyond personal taste to a set of criteria that proved essential for the growing Mizo church: In those early days, the missionaries struggled to