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Nongkrem Dance Festival: the Khasi thanksgiving at Smit
Maidens in silk and coral circle slowly inside a ring of swords
The Nongkrem Dance is a five-day religious festival of the Khasi people of Meghalaya, held each autumn at Smit, about 11 km from Shillong. It is the harvest thanksgiving of Hima Khyrim, one of the traditional Khasi states, led by its Syiem (ruler) and high priest and offered to the goddess Ka Blei Synshar. Its public face is the Shad Nongkrem, a slow dance by unmarried young women in silk and gold, with men dancing with swords around them. Dance days: 1–2 November 2026.
The Hima Khyrim durbar at Smit fixes the dates each year; the state then declares a local holiday for East Khasi Hills.
The legend
Nongkrem is a five-day Khasi festival at Smit, a thanksgiving to the goddess Ka Blei Synshar for a rich harvest and the people's well-being.
When the old Hima Shyllong split, two realms emerged, Hima Mylliem and Hima Khyrim. Nongkrem is the festival of Hima Khyrim and its Syiem.
The festival begins with shared work: the villages of the Hima bring grass in a fixed order and thatch the Iing Sad, the Syiem's house at Smit.
Customs
The women's dance
Unmarried young women in silk, gold and coral move in slow circles in the courtyard of the Iing Sad: this is the Shad Nongkrem.
Sword and whisk
Around them the men dance with a sword in the right hand and a white yak-hair whisk in the left, to drums and tangmuri pipes.
Where to celebrate
Smit
The Hima Khyrim's five-day thanksgiving at Smit, near Shillong, closes with the Shad Nongkrem: women in silk, gold and coral dance slowly before the thatched Iing Sad inside a ring of swords.
What the festival is
The Government of Meghalaya describes Nongkrem as a religious festival performed to appease Ka Blei Synshar for a rich harvest and the prosperity of the people. It belongs to Hima Khyrim. When the old Hima Shyllong split, two realms emerged, Hima Mylliem and Hima Khyrim, and Nongkrem is the festival of Khyrim and its Syiem. Its full name is Ka Pomblang Nongkrem; Meghalaya Tourism notes that the name Nongkrem comes from the village where it was first held, the historic seat of the Khyrim kingdom.
The centre of the festival is the Iing Sad at Smit, the thatched house of the Syiem, which Meghalaya Tourism describes as built entirely without metal. Meghalaya's matrilineal order shows in the rites: the Syiem Sad, the Syiem's eldest sister, holds the ritual office and is regarded as the ritual mother of the Hima. The festival begins with shared work, when the villages of the Hima bring grass in a fixed order and thatch the Iing Sad. The public dance comes at the end of a ritual cycle of about a month.
The rites
Before the dancing come the rites, which the community conducts for itself. According to the Government of Meghalaya, the Syiem of Khyrim and the high priest perform the Pomblang ceremony, an important part of the festival that includes animal sacrifice, together with offerings to Lei Shyllong, the deity of Shillong Peak, and to the ancestors of the ruling clan. The full name of the festival, Ka Pomblang Nongkrem, refers to this ceremony.
These rites are held on Lum Pomblang, a hill above Smit, and in the Syiem's house, apart from the dance ground. They are religious observances, not part of the public programme, and visitors are not invited to them.
The dance
The Shad Nongkrem is danced in the courtyard in front of the Iing Sad. Unmarried young women in silk, gold and coral move in slow circles at the centre. Around them the men dance more vigorously, with a sword in the right hand and a white yak-hair whisk in the left, keeping time to drums and the tangmuri, a pipe. People come from across Khyrim, and a fair of local crafts and food fills the field outside the Iing Sad compound.
Getting there and where to stay
Stay in Shillong: Smit is a village, not a base. Book a room in Shillong about a month ahead, as November is a busy month there. Smit is about 11 km from Shillong by taxi. The dates are fixed each year by the Hima Khyrim durbar and announced only weeks before, so keep your plans flexible. Arrive in Shillong the day before the dance begins, and on the final day go early, because the courtyard fills.
The dance is free and has no tickets. Shillong's other Khasi dance festival, Shad Suk Mynsiem, is held in spring.
Etiquette
The dance is open to watch, but the festival remains worship.
- Keep out of the circle — Stand where the organisers put you, on the edge of the courtyard or the slopes around it, and never cross the dance ground.
- Photographs — Use no flash near the dancers and ask before close portraits of people in ceremonial dress.
- Leave the rites alone — Do not follow processions up Lum Pomblang or into the Syiem's house.
- Official advice — The FCDO notes that protests, blockades and large gatherings are common in the north-eastern states and that flare-ups can occur along inter-state borders, including Assam-Meghalaya. Check with local authorities; see Is India safe?.
FAQ
When is the Nongkrem Dance Festival?
Usually in late October or November, on dates the Hima Khyrim fixes each year. Dance days: 1–2 November 2026.
In which Indian state is the Nongkrem Dance celebrated?
In Meghalaya, at Smit in East Khasi Hills, about 11 km from Shillong.
Which tribe celebrates Nongkrem?
The Khasi, as the festival of Hima Khyrim, one of the traditional Khasi states, and its Syiem.
Why is Nongkrem celebrated?
It is a thanksgiving to the goddess Ka Blei Synshar for a rich harvest and the well-being of the people.
Is there a ticket?
No. The dance is free to watch from the edges of the courtyard and the slopes around the Iing Sad.
What are other traditional dances of Meghalaya?
Shad Suk Mynsiem is the Khasi spring dance in Shillong, and Wangala is the Garo harvest festival.
Sources (6)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.