ART

INTEGRATION

MEGHALAYA
BY Biswajeet Sahoo
Class: 10th –B
Roll no. : 10
Subject: English
 MEANING
 Abode of clouds
 In Sanskrit ( megh –
cloud + alaya- abode)
 STATE
 Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India
 Meghalaya was formed by carving out two
district from the state of Assam
1. The United Khasi Hills
2. Jaintia Hills
3. The Garo
 The population of Meghalaya as 2020 is
estimated to be 3,772,452.
 Meghalaya covers an area of approximately
22,430 square kilometres.
 HISTORY
 During the British rule of India, the British
imperial authorities nicknamed it the
“Scotland of the east”.
 Meghalaya was previously part of Assam, but
on 21 January 1972, the districts of Khasi,
Garo and Jaintia hills became the new state
of Meghalaya.
 English is the official language of Meghalaya.
 BOUNDARIES
 The state bound to the south by the
Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and
Sylhet, to the west by the Bangladeshi
division of Rangpur, and the north and east
by India’s State of Assam.
 CULTURE
&
HERITAGE
THE PEOPLE
 The khasi, Jantia, Bhoi, war collectively
know as the Hynniewtrep people
predominantly inhabit the districts of East
Meghalaya, also known to be one of the
earliest ethnic group of settlers in the
Indian sub-continent, belonging to the
Proto Austroloid Monkhmer race.
 FEMALE DRESS
 The Khasi traditional female dress is rather
elaborate with several pieces of cloth, giving
the body a cylindrical shape. On ceremonial
occasions, they wear a crown of silver or
gold on the head. Spike or a peak is fixed to
the back of the crown, corresponding to the
feathers worn by the menfolk.
 MALE DRESS
 The traditional Khasi male dress is
“Jymphong” or a longish sleeveless coat
without collar, fastened by thongs in
front. Now, the Khasis have adopted the
western dress. On ceremonial occasions,
they appear in “Jymphong” and dhoti
with an ormental waist band.
 MARRIAGE
 Marriage within a clan is a taboo. Rings or
betel nut bags are exchanged between the
Bride and the Bridegroom to complete the
union. In the Christian families, however,
marriage is purely a civil contact.
 RELIGION
 The Khasis are now mostly Christians. But
before that, they believed in a Supreme
Being, The Creator – U Blei Nongthaw and
under Him, there were several deities of
water and of mountains and also of other
natural objects.
 FOOD AND DRINKS
 The staple food of Khasis is rice. They also
take fish and meat. Like the other tribes in
the North East, the Khasis also ferment rice
beer, and make sprit out of rice or millets by
distillation. Use of rice beer is a must for
every cermonial and religious occasion.
 FESTIVALS

1. SHAD SUK MYNSIEM

2. NONGKREM DANCE
SHAD SUK MYNSIEM
 One of the most important festivals of the
Khasis is Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem or Dance of the
joyful heart.
 It is an annual thanks giving dance held in
Shillong in April.
 Men and women, dressed in traditional fineries
dance to the accompaniment of drums and the
flute.
 The festival lasts for three days.
NONGKREM DANCE
 The Nongkrem dance festival is celebrated
during Autumn.
 A five day long religious festival of the khasis.
 Ka Pomblang Nongkrem dance is popularly
known as Nongkrem dance.
 Prayers are offered for a good harvest, peace
and prosperity.

To see how it celebrated click this arrow below

THE END
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reading