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    TRADITIONAL  DANCE  FESTIVALS  IN  JAINTIA  HILLS

Behdienkhlam          Laho Dance        Others

Jaintia Hills celebrated Behdienkhlam Festival  from 10th to 13th July 2010

On  21st July 2010  Jaintia Hills celebrated Tuber Behdienkhlam

This festival is held every year during the rainy season of July or August.

It is the most important and unique dance festival of the Jaintias. It is the most colorful religious festival.  This festival is believed to be handed over to the  Jowai people by the 'Seven Huts' who came down from heaven and started a new life on earth. It had been foretold that there would be a widespread plaque in the locality and to ward it off the Jaintia sought help from their protector deitied Mulong, U Mukhai and Musniang who advised them to hold the festival annually in  the spirit of good will, brotherhood and joy.  It is celebrated after the sowing period is over.

A month-long preparation and the minor religious ceremonies involving sacrifices were being performed by the Lyngdoh precede the great event. A month before the festival, a sacrifice known as 'Knia Khang'  is performed to ward off all evils. The underlying idea and purpose of this festival is to drive away all evils that plague the human life. At Jowai town, this festival can be seen being celebrated during the month of July.  

A day before the sacrifice, male members of the seven chosen localities of  Jowai go to bring back the Dein Khlam or plague driving trees. They will have to be felled and make ready a week earlier. These big trees are not brought directly  but are kept halfway for the night in a place called Iawmusiang. On the second day, these trees are  erected at the centre of each locality. Young men make a symbolic driving away of the evil spirits by beating the roof of every house with bamboo poles. This is done early on the first day of the festival, people dance on the stree with the accompaniment of drum beating and pipe playing.  Each locality made a very colorful tower-like structure known as 'rot' to be carried by around 60-70 people to be immersed  and destroyed in the wah-eit-nar. The climax of the celebrations is the tussle, as seen in a   tug-of-war, for a large tree big  in size known as 'Khnong' is being immersed in  a  muddy ditch called "wah-eit-nar". The immersion ceremony is preceded by religious rites and sacrifices at the sacred pool in the early hours of the morning Mud is generously smeared by the participants on each other which resembles the Holi celebrations of the plains.

In the afternoon datlawakor is played between two teams from the upper and lower valleys of the Myntdu river. It is a kind of soccer with a wooden ball. The sides who wins are believed to be blessed with  a good harvest. The Daloi will act as referee. This festival is also an invocation to God seeking His blessings for a good harvest. Women offers sacrificial food to the spirits of the ancestors and the ancestress.      

Behdienkhlam Festival ...glimpses...

Behdeiñkhlam is one of the most important religious festivals amongst the Pnar ( Jaintia Community of Meghalaya) who believe in their indigenous religion handed down by their forefather as revealed by the Almighty God. The “Behdeiñkhlam” means driving away the plagues, devils and all kind of evil spirit with prayer to all mighty God to shower in peace and security of life, for blessing, for rich harvest, for prosperity in business and other profession.

The festival of Behdeiñkhlam is being observed and performed along with the performance of other religious rites and offering, sacrifices, affirmation, thanksgiving, prayer, cheering and rejoicing accompanied with beating of drum, piping (bhuri) with bugles, tambourine or cymbal and dancing. The dance and other performance culminate at Aitnar sacred pool where thousand of people coming from far and near and even from aboard watching and witnessing the colorful events till the struggle for the foothold on the khnong and immersion of “Raths” was over.

In Jowai town, the headquarter of the Ri Khad-Ar Dolloi now known as Jaintia hills Districts this festival is held every year in the month of July after the sowing season. The celebration dance continue for four days i.e  from a weekday known as ‘Pynsiñ’ and closes on ‘Mushai’ say after the ‘Musiang’ market day.

For the observance and celebration of this festival many kinds of rites and sacrifices are offered before the day and month preceding the celebration of Behdeiñkhlam. Some kinds of sacrifices are also offered during the  Behdeiñkhlam itself.

The Behdeiñkhlam and other religious rites traditionally being performed and conduct by the LANGDOHS male priest and female priest and the doloi as the religious head, pator, Sangot and other religious Elder under the purview and patronage of the Seiñraij Jowai.

Seiñraij were founded on the tenets of indigenous religion and set out all effort to do the work of preservation of indigenous religion and culture., for re-arousal of awareness and love for the indigenous faith and culture among the people and take pride in all these that were their own. Besides these, they (Seiñraij) also work ceaselessly for the uplift of education, social well-being and safeguarding the interest and welfare of the indigenous people and retain their right over religious lands, Thanks God that in spite of the ups and downs faces by the Seiñraij, the Behdeiñkhlam has now come Light of the Day with its glorious beauty and grace.

“Deiñkhlam” is a solid tree (wood) of great length, smooth and well-planned. On Muchai day, a week before the last day of Behdeiñkhlam, the elders and other leading men of all the localities of Kmairaij viz Lulong. Tpep-pale, Panaliar, Lumiongkjam, Lumpyrdi (Iongpiah) and Lumkyrwiang set out to neighbouring forest for selecting and cutting the good tree fit for conversion to Deiñkhlam. While going to forest for cutting Deiñkhlam , they used beat cymbal “chew chew” to drive away the evil spirit and demons which may come their way. 

The Khonraij locality or Chilliangraij shall also in the like manner get ready for the procurement of a Khnong Blai and Symbood Khnong. Before cutting the trees for Deiñkhlam, Khnong Blai and Symbood Khnong, they will perform and affirmation of home made rice beer and pour at the foot of tree to be cut down or felled.

On the Pynsin day, being the first of the last part of Behdeiñkhlam festival, the khonraij locality goes and take up the Khnong Blai from the scared jungle and bring it upto Loomsooiung amidst dancing, rejoicing and cheering accompanied with piping and beating of drum. As soon as they have laid down properly for the short rest, after thanks and prayer, they return to chillingraij.

On Mulong the second day of Behdeiñkhlam the people of kmairaij after a goat sacrifice at Aitnar go out to take their Deiñkhlam out of jungle and to bring them up to Iawmusiang to leave them there for the night.

On the third day, being Musiang day, the Khonraij shall make their Symbood Khnong stand erect on the top of the hillock known as the Khliehchnong. It is only after this the Kmairaij localities could bring up their Deiñkhlam from Iawmusiang to their respective places. And when Deiñkhlam reaches the localities, they are made to stand erect and remain there for a night. Next day they are pull down before the Raths of the localities are taken to Aitnar pool.

On the Musiang day, the Khonraij shall go up to bring the khnong Blai from Loomsooiung and lay it down for at Thaw Suit Khnong Jowai. Before they take it up again and carry it to Chilliangraij, the youth shall pray silently while the elder of Chilliangraij locality shall thank God and that the Khnong Blai shall reach safely at the place sat apart for it and also to be blessed with good health, welfare and prosperity in all their works, business in the locality and in the country as well, then they pour out libation of rice beer on the khnong Blai. It is after the performed of these religious rites and thanks giving that the locality of Kmairiaj turn to their localities along with the Deiñkhlam accompanied with the dancing, shouting and other form of rejoicing together with heartrending music of piping and drum.

Early in the morning of Muchai day the culmination of Behdeiñkhlam, one Harnamuid and a chutia set out to meet the leader and youths of Iongpiah locality at the lawn of old Iawiongpiah. These youths of Iongpiah accompany them towards the Langdoh House with dancing and rejoicing all way until they reach the Langdoh House for the purpose of performing the religious rite of kyntiñ khnong is performed as a sign of respect and in memoriam of Ka wet, Ka Tein, and ka Doh who were the first  and original settler of Jowai Town. As regard ka Bon, it is for the chilliangraij to dedicate the Khnong Blai and to place it at Aitnar “Sacred pool” as a mark of respect to her. As soon as they reach the Langdoh House, the Dolloi shall first thanks and hand over “Ka Sarak Ka Sadiar” to the elder or leader of Iomgpiah who invoke God for his blessings. Thereafter, the first Kyntiñ Khnong begins. Then they leave again for Iongpiah locality and return to Langdoh House after a short while for the second Kyntiñ Khnong. Here the Langdoh “Priest”offer rice beer to the Kñi of Iongpiah who immediately offer prayer to the all mighty creator for his blessing. The thirs prayer Khnong follows just after the second Kyntiñ Khnong.

After the Kyntiñ khnong the shall be SYMPAT ÏUNG/WHIPPING of the house roof of all those who believe their traditional religion “Niamtre”, the whipping of house religion is done by young and old by Deiñkhlam tree fixed in their courtyard for the purpose with Ngooh Blai prayer to God for driving out plagues and evil spirits. To shower blessing for the family, prosperity for the business, in health, in farming and to make the celebration and religious festival grand success. And as far as the langdoh (Priest) and elders are concerned, they started from the Langdoh house and proceed to Khonraij to perform the religious rites and observance in addition to whipping the house roofs.

AT AITNAR: 

As soon as one or two Rahts from the localities arrives at ht eaitnarpool the Khonraij bring and carries the Symbood Khnong and lays it in the pool for the purpose of a struggle for a foothold on it. Then they take it to Soo-lad (four way crossing) with a shout “Hey Ho! Hey Ho!”.

As soon as all the Raths have arrived at Aitnar the Khonraij people take Khnong Blaiand bring down to Aitnar to be placed in the Aitnar pool. At once there is a great rush and struggle for the foothold at the Khnong Blai. The whole struggle for a foothold is done in a gay and non-violent  love fraternal feelings. In short, the religious celebration is performed with and rejoicing.

As provided by : IPR Office, Jowai ( details from Seinraij)

Cluster of Rods presented by different localities during the festival

Rod from Seinraij Shillong on join National campaign to save Tiger

People rush and struggle for a foothold on the Khnong Blai placed in the Aitnar pool

The  Laho  Dance 

The Jaintia People have another dance festival for entertainment. It is called the Laho dance. Members of both the sexes participate in this dance festival, attired in their best finery, usually two young men on either side of a girl, linking arms together, dance in step. In place of the usual drums and pipe, there is a cheer leader, usually a man gifted with the talent of spontaneous recitation. He recites ribald couplets to the merriment of the audience.                              

Others.....

There are brilliant  other dances performed in different places of the district, the above mentioned are the most significant.