Shillong, Nov 2: The Nongkrem dance Festival of the Khasi tribals culminated at Smit, the capital of the erstwhile Khasi state, 15 km south from Shillong, amid traditional celebrations and festivities.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma extended greetings to the people of Meghalaya, particularly the Khasi community, on the auspicious occasion.
Taking to social media, Sangma shared his greetings in Khasi and English, describing the ‘Shad Nongkrem’ as a grand carnival that celebrates the unique essence of Khasi culture. He expressed hope that the festival would foster strong bonds within the community and restore peace and harmony across the state and the country.
The five-day long religious festival takes place at the ‘Iing Sad’ (thatched palace), the royal abode of the Syiem Sad, Queen Mother or High Priestess of the state of Khyrim.
The 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, where a goat is sacrificed to appease the Lei Shyllong; the god of Shillong peak and also to the ancestors and ancestress of the ruling clan.
The religious part of the festival precedes dances, in which unmarried girls in all their exotic costumes participate.
Holding swords and white Yak hair whisks in their hands, young men dressed in traditional regalia also took centre stage in front of the Iing Sad, moving to the changing beats of drums and haunting tunes of the tangmuri (pipes).
As people gathered from all over the State of Khyrim, small 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.
Over the years, the Nongkrem Dance has been attracting a large number of tourists, both domestic and foreign.
Attired in his majestic regalia, the Syiem (King) of Khyrim, Dr Balajied Syiem presided over the festival.
“We have preserved and nurtured the rich legacy of traditional dances bequeathed to us by our ancestors. There is an urgent need to safeguard our roots despite changes in the modern world,” said Dr Syiem,
Flagging financial constraints, he said, “Despite problems with finance, we are grateful that for the past 10 years the tourism ministry…has provided funds. We are hopeful the grant will increase. We look towards the Centre for abundant support.”
Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, who attended the final day, lauded the growing scale of the festival.
“I am very happy to see people of Nongkrem and nearby villages coming forward to celebrate Shad Nongkrem. This festival is growing year after year and I really enjoyed it. The infrastructure today is tremendous. I thank the Chief Minister for always supporting the Hima,” Dhar said.
He said the government extends support whenever the Syiem’s office approaches it.
“Our government supports all denominations. Whether it is Christmas or any other religious festival, we are always behind our people. We want all religions to flourish. The uniqueness of Meghalaya is that Christians respect non-Christians and non-Christians respect Christians,” he said.
Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla, MDCs and other dignitaries were also present.
