Fairs and Festivals of Meghalaya
As there are three tribes in the
Meghalaya, the festivals of this region are broadly classified into
the festivals of their respective regions. There are many festivals of
each tribe but the following are the one of the most important
festivals of the community.
¤ Nongkrem Dance (October/November)
This is one of the most important festivals of the Khasi tribes. It is
celebrated at 'Smit', which is the cultural center of the Khasis. It
is five days celebration for thanking the Lord Almighty for a good
harvest. The participants also pray for the peace and prosperity of
the community. When the festival commences, the Syiem (the
administrative head of the Khasi region) dance before a certain wooden
pillar called "U Rishot Blei". Then a ritualistic sacrifice
of goats is made followed by a series of rituals like offerings to the
Gods and to the ancestors, 'Kalawbei U Thawlang'. Once the religious
rituals are over, dancers begin their rituals. Unmarried girls in fine
costumes and jewelleries dance within a circle with the men of open
sword in one hand and a white yak-hair whisk in the other. They dance
to the rhythmic beats of the drums and the clanking of cymbals and the
flute striking up a melody in the background. Apart from it, there are
lists of festivals that are celebrated by the people in the Khasi
hills. Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem, Ka Pom-Blang Nongkrem,
Ka-Shad-Shyngwiang-Thangiap, Ka-Shad-Kynjoh Khaskain, Ka Bam Khana
Shnong, Umsang Nongkharai and Shad Beh Sier are also festivals, which
are celebrated with much pomp and gaiety.
¤ Behdienkhlam(July)
This is one of the popular festivals of the region of Jaintia hills.
Based on the socio-economic life of the Jaintias and prayers for the
property and good health of the people, this festival is celebrated at
Jowai, the district headquarters. Jowai is at an altitude of 1220
meters above sea level and is 64 kms away from Shillong. The festival
celebrated to invoke the blessings of the Gods for a bountiful harvest
and keep people off diseases and plaque. The main highlight of
Behdienkhlam are the making of the "Dein Khlam", "Symlend"
and "Khnong", which are rounded, polished and tall trunks of
trees. Another festival that can be mentioned which is also celebrated
at Jaintia hills is the Sowing Ritual Ceremony.
¤ Wangala(October)
There are many festivals celebrated by the Garos. Mention can be made
of Denbilsia, Wangala, Rongchugala, Mi Amua, Mangona, GrendikBa, Dore
Rata Dance and Chambil Mesara.
Wangala, celebrated as a thanksgiving ceremony to the Gods and the
Goddesses, is considered to be 'the post-harvest festival of the
Garos'. Wangala is one of the most important festivals of the Garos.
During this festival, ritual sacrifice is made to the goddess ' Misi
Saljong' to bless them with plenty of food-grains. The festival also
highlights the end of the time of toil in the fields and harvesting of
crops.
When the dance ceremony begins the dancers of men and women lined up
in queue and the men beat their drums. They move forward in tune with
other music of gongs, buffalo-horn and flutes. The dancers perform
with energetic and vigorous movements.
¤ Shad Suk Mynsiem (April)
This festival also known as the Dance of the joyful heart. It is held
in Shillong and is one of the festivals of the Khasis. The festival is
celebrated for three days and during the festivals, men and women
clothed in their traditional costumes dance to the beats of the drum
and the tunes of the flute.
¤ The Laho Dance (July)
It is one of the festivals celebrated in the Jaintia Hills. During the
festival, two men dressed in traditional attire, dance on either sides
of a woman holding arms together. Here a man with a talent of reciting
promptly churns out couplets for the dance and entertains the
audience.
¤ Chambil Mesara or Pomelo Dance (October)
The dance is performed only by skillful dancers. The dance consist of
a solo dance where the performer manages to dangle a pomelo or some
other fruit from a cord around his waist. The performance gets
interesting when the dancer spins more than one pomelo faster and
faster.
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