Indigenous celebration in Mawsynram village on Dussehra
Shillong, Oct 13: When the rest of the country will celebrate Dussehra or Dashami on October 15, a quaint village in East Khasi Hills’ Mawsynram block will have its own rituals for the worship of U Blei, the Mother Goddess.
Kenmynsaw Syntein village, where everyone follows the indigenous tribal faith Niam Khasi, has its one-day celebration. The rituals include sacrifice of animals.
“This is the only village in the state where 100% population follow Niam Khasi. We make a small structure with soil that denotes the goddess and perform all rituals in front of that,” said 36-year-old Telilang Myrthong, president of the puja committee in the village. His uncle was among the priests.
The villagers sacrifice a white goat in front of the idol. A black pig is also sacrificed and all the 250 households have to contribute Rs 40 for the same. The meat of the pig is then distributed in the village.
The remote hamlet had no road connectivity and it was only in 2019 that a black-topped road was built.