Introduction
One of the most important Festivals in Jaintia Hills, (July) is the Behdienkhlam Festival, often considered to be one of the most colorful festivals of India. The festival which is unique in the way it preserves the age old traditions and folk lore surrounding the region is one of the most important annual festivals of Meghalaya. Held in July, each year, the festival originated as a homage which was paid to the Gods of the Seven Huts who arrived in the region from heaven and established a kingdom here. It was predicted that the region would suffer from a terrible plague which scared the Jowai people who traveled to the shrine of heir protector deity Mulong, U Mukhai and Musniang who advised them to worship the divine elements in the form of the festival of Behdienkhlam which was to be held annually. The festival is accompanied by a month-long preparation period during which a sacrifice is also held to ward off evil spirits. The festival is also regarded nowadays as an invocation to the divinity seeking a good harvest. As a mark of respect to both the divine powers governing the land as well as the ancestors of the families, women offer sacrificial food.
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