Introduction
One of the most important regions of Meghalaya is the region bordered by the Khasi Hills. Accentuating the culture and heritage of this region are some of the festivals in Khasi Hills (Oct-Nov) notable among which is the Nongkrem Dance.
Nongkrem Dance
One of the most important festivals of the region today, the Nongkrem Dance originally started as a festival of religious fervor which was a celebration of Thanksgiving to the Almighty. Generally held during the harvest months of October and November, this festival is best celebrated at Smit, the capital of the Khyrim Syiemship near Shillong.
An important feature of the celebrations of this festival is a special dance which is performed by young unmarried women and men both married as well as unmarried. One of the characteristic features of this dance form is the festive and colorful clothes worn by the performers of the dance. The festival is a riot of gold, silver and silk as the women form an inner circle which is again bordered by an outer circle formed by the male dancers. Another important feature of the festival is the "Pomblang" ceremony in which a healthy goat is sacrificed with all the religious fervor that the occasion can possibly demand. However, the sacrifice is made not to divine powers but to the Syiem of Khyrim, who serves as the administrative head of the Hima or the Khasi State. This is presided over by the Ka Syiem Sad, the eldest sister of the king who is the chief priest as well as the caretaker of all ceremonies. Besides this, offerings are also made to the priests, as well as the leading deities of the ruling clan and the deity of Shillong.
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