Curtain comes down on Shad Nongkrem Festival
SHILLONG, Nov 7: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday called upon the autonomous district councils (ADCs) in the state to continue promoting and preserving customary laws and practices.
He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual Shad Nongkrem Festival which concluded with grandeur and spiritual fervour. It is celebrated by the Hima Khyrim, one of the largest and most significant Himas in the Khasi Hills.
Tynsong said the Hima (traditional state), under which his Assembly constituency falls, is performing its customary religious rites. He expressed gratitude to the Syiem of Khyrim and hoped that the festival would bring blessings to the Hima and Meghalaya.
Drawing a comparison, he said the Cherry Blossom Festival is completely different from such customary and spiritual celebrations.
“The Cherry Blossom Festival is a cultural event that showcases the talent of our youth, while Shad Nongkrem and other traditional festivals are deeply spiritual in nature,” he explained.
Tynsong mentioned that the government actively supports spiritual and traditional festivals such as Wangala Dance, Nongkrem Dance, Seng Khasi Dance and Behdienkhlam by providing assistance to the traditional institutions.
Celebrated every autumn, the five-day religious festival Ka Pomblang Syiem, popularly known as Shad Nongkrem, is a thanksgiving ceremony dedicated to ‘Ka Blei Synshar’, the Goddess of prosperity. The rituals are performed to seek blessings for a bountiful harvest and the welfare of the people.
The highlight of the celebration was the Shad Nongkrem dance, performed in the courtyard of the ‘Iing Sad’ (royal thatched palace). Young unmarried women, resplendent in gold and silver ornaments, danced gracefully at the centre of the arena, taking measured steps to the traditional beats of the duhalia (musicians). There were altogether 554 dancers—343 females and 211 males.
Encircling them were men dressed in regal Khasi attire, carrying swords and white yak-hair whisks, moving in harmony with the deep drumbeats and the haunting notes of the ‘tangmuri’ (traditional pipes). The women’s crowns of silver and gold symbolised the dignity and grace of Khasi matrilineal society.
The festival grounds buzzed with activity as visitors thronged colourful stalls selling local handicrafts, traditional delicacies etc. The festival has increasingly become a major cultural attraction, drawing both domestic and international tourists.
Syiem of Hima Khyrim Dr Balajied Syiem said they invited dancers not only from their Hima but also from all parts of the Khasi Hills. He further stated that it is only the Hima Khyrim that still upholds its traditions—its faith, reverence, dance and joy.
According to him, it holds great value when the foundations, laid by the ancestors, are preserved.
“We hope that the government will support the efforts and welfare of the people of our land, especially those living in rural areas,” he further stated.
Dignitaries who attended the festival include Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, adviser to the government Ampareen Lyngdoh, several MDCs of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, and Fr Richard Majaw, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Shillong.
