SHILLONG, NOV 4: The gold ornaments adorning the demure damsels and the swords wielded by valiant young men glittered in glory as the ancient Khasi festival of Shad Nongkrem proclaimed the dignity of the indigenous and unblemished tribal religion, culture and heritage.
One of the most ancient and grandiose festivals of the indigenous Khasi religion, the annual Nongkrem dance was held amidst pomp, joy and faithful fervour at the scenic hamlet of Smit, the headquarter and capital of the Khasi state of Hima Khyrim, 20 km from the city on Wednesday.
The Nongkrem dance festival is celebrated during autumn at Smit, the cultural centre of the Khasi Hills.
The five-day long religious festival of the Khasis, Ka Pomblang Nongrem dance is popularly known as Nongkrem dance.
The dance was also witnessed by chief minister Dr Mukul Sangma besides other government officials.
Similar to all other festivals of Meghalaya, Nongkrem Dance Festival is performed to appease the all-powerful Goddess Ka Blei Synshar for a rich bumper harvest and prosperity of the people.
The Syiem (King) of Khyrim along with the high priest performs the Pomblang ceremony. He offers obeisance to Lei Shyllong; the god of Shillong peak by sacrificing a cock.
An important part of this festival is Pomblang (sacrifice of goats). Then offerings are made to the ancestor and ancestress of the ruling clan.
Religious part of the festival precedes dances, in which unmarried girls in all their exotic costumes participate. Attired in their majestic and traditional regalia, young men also take to the dancing arena in front of the Iing Sad (thatched palace).
They hold swords and white Yak hair whisks in their hands, keeping time to the changing beats of drums and haunting tunes of the tangmuri or pipes.
The women dance in the centre called ‘Ka Shad Kynthei’ with such tiny steps that the lifting of the feet is hardly seen. Their arms are held at the sides and their eyes are solemnly cast down to show modesty and obedience.
The silver or gold crowns that they wear signify the glory and dignity of the Khasi matrilineal society.
The ‘Tiew Lasubon’ (a rare sweet scented golden colored flower found only in the deep jungles), worn on the crown indicates the purity of women. They wear the finest silver and gold chains, bracelets and earrings during this festival.
When the daughters of the royal family come out to dance umbrellas are used to cover the heads of the princesses.
The dance performed by the men is called, ‘Ka Shad Mastieh’. They dance around the southern side of the circle holding sword on their right hand and whisks in their left.
The sword symbolizes the man’s defence of himself, his house, his wife, his children and his mother, and, the whisk his care and sound advice.
The men wear dhotis with full sleeved shirts and embroider sleeveless coats and turbans.
As people come from all over the State of Khyrim, little markets spring up in the field outside the Iing Sad compound adding to the revelry.
Dressed in their best, people throng the dancing arena and the adjoining hills where a colourful fair, featuring local handicrafts and delicacies is held on the occasion every year.
Locally made rice beer intoxicates the atmosphere with sheer fun and festivity.
Over the years, the Nongkrem Dance has been attracting large number of tourists, both domestic and foreign.
Attired in his majestic regalia, the Syiem (King) of Kyhrim, Dr. Balajied Syiem presided over the festival. “With the changing times we need to uphold and strengthen our rich ancient culture and tradition,” the Syiem emphasized.- By Our Reporter
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