Meghalaya Festivals

Nongkrem Dance (Pomblang Nongkrem): The Pomblang Nongkrem popularly known as the Nongkrem Dance is one of the most important festivals of the Khasis. It is a five-day religious festival held annually at Smit about 11 Kms from Shillong, headquarter of the Chief (Syiem) of Khyriem. This thanksgiving festival celebrates the generosity of the heavens in granting a good harvest while praying for peace and prosperity.

Shad Suk Mynsiem: One of the most important Khasi festivals is ‘Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem’(Dance of the joyful heart). A thanksgiving dance, the three-day festival is usually held in the month of April every year.

Beh Deinkhlam: is the most important festival of the Jaintias. BehDein (meaning, ‘to drive away with sticks’) and Khlam (plague or pestilence) gives thanks and praise to the heavens while invoking blessings to keep disease and pestilence at bay. A popular festival marked by colourful revelry, this exclusively male festival dance to the tune of drums and flutes around embellished ‘rot’ tower-shaped tableaux depicting a social issue. Womenfolk, albeit not participating in the dance itself, play the important role of preparing and offering sacrificial food to the spirits of the ancestors.

Wangala: The most important festival of the Achiks, there is no fixed date for Wangala which is an autumn thanksgiving festival. Starting off with the solemn ritual of Rugala to quench the thirst of the crops with a deep draught of rice beer, incense is burnt (sasatso•a) as an offering to the deity of agriculture Misi Saljong. The rituals are followed by dancing among young couples accompanied by drummers and revellers.