Folk Dances from Meghalaya

Hazong

The Hazaongs, a small tribal community which live in the Garo hills of Meghalaya celebrate a festival every year just before the harvest. It is believed that proper observance of this festival not only invokes God’s blessings for a good and plentiful harvest, but also ensures the well-being of the community through -out the year. The Hazong dance is the most important aspect of the festival. Both men and women participate in the dance.

Maring

In the Khasi hills of Meghalaya, the Maring tribal community celebrates the spring season in a dance performed consecutively for four days. On the first day, rituals are performed and God is prayed for the prosperity of the community. From the second day the dance proper are performed at a particular place called Madan Duwan-Lyngdoh where huts have been made with bamboo and grass. The villagers assemble there and the dance begins. Both men and women participate in the dance. The dancers stand in a line putting their hands on the shoulders of the nearby dancers. At both the ends of the line, two men dance holding a shield made of Rhino skin. The dance is performed in memory of the legendary heroes who fought and defeated the enemies. The most fascinating feature of their costume is the headgear which is decorated by two long feathers of the tail of Rynnaiw, a black bird with a long tail. These two feathers are a must. To further decorate the head-gear, feathers of other birds like peacock are also used. The musical accompaniment is provided by the native drums, flutes, and cymbals

Zemi

The joyous dance performed by the boys and girls of the Zemi Naga tribal community of Meghalaya is named after the tribe, i.e. Zemi. It is generally danced near the Morung, the dormitory for the unmarried. The dancers wear their traditional colorful costumes. The male dancers wear-a headgear decorated with feathers of hornbill. The dance movements of the boys are vigorous and while dancing they leap very high and land on the ground on the beat of the rhythm. The girls while dancing twist and turn their torso with great felicity. The dance is accompanied with drums and cymbals.