The Nongkrem Dance is a major celebration of the Khasis that takes place in the picturesque hamlet of Smit and is held in the courtyard of the Nongkrem Syiem or chief's home. The Iing Sad, which is also known as the Big House, is an important emblem of the Khasis - a huge, centuries-old residence that is still the seat of tribal power.
Nongkrem Dance Festival is a five-day event with several ceremonies featuring the present rulers of the Khyrim Hima (kingdom). The members are well-known and respected in traditional government, and they continue to be torchbearers for centuries-old indigenous customs of the Khasis. The pomblang or goat sacrifice ceremony is followed by the dance, in which unmarried maidens and male members of the community form the dancing troupe. Every participant is dressed to the nines in traditional clothes.
The ceremony is performed and led by the Syiem of Khyrim, The Khasi Chief followed by a High Priest. They offer goats at the ancient Pomblang ceremony, a sacrifice to appease their ancestral spirits and Shyllong deity. It is by such rites that we honor our ancestors and bring blessings from the holy.
Along with rituals, the festival is celebrated through various performances that epitomize Khasi culture in their unique flavours of dance. Men flannel around in the costumes of war, wielding swords in one hand and shaking the whisk made from yak hair gesturing to you to come home with them. JumiBa is where the entire village comes together in song and merriment thanks to the beats of drums, tangmuri music piercing through half a dozen other houses.
Dates: November 2024 (exact dates to be confirmed)
Location: Smit Village, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya
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