Behdieng Khlam Festival 9th July 2023 |KYNTIEWLANG
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Behdienkhlam in Meghalaya is a regional Indian holiday observed annually from July 6 to 9. It’s one of the most important religious festivals held in Jowai, Jaintia Hills. Rituals are conducted to banish evil spirits and revelry continues for three days. Tribal communities from the district of Meghalaya of the ‘Niamtre’ faith or Hinduism all come together to pray for a successful harvest.

Behdienkhlam is made up of the following three words: ‘Beh’ meaning ‘to get rid of,’ ‘Dien’ meaning ‘wood or log,’ and ‘Khlam’ meaning ‘plague.’ Taken together, the word means ‘to get rid of the plague.’ It’s primarily held before the rainy season, at the end of the sowing season.

It begins with the sacrifice of a pig to ‘Knia Pyrthat,’ the god of thunder. A priest or ‘wasan’ then rings a bell and walks to the sacred forest. Villagers then collect fallen tree trunks, leave them in the woods, then bring them back home with much fanfare. The trunks or ‘Khong’ are erected in each locality and among homes. A vibrant part of this festival is the ‘raths’ or ‘rots,’ tall structures made of bamboo decorated with colored paper, tinsel, symbols, and messages that each village creates. A group of young men carry the rots to the ‘Aitnar’ or sacred pool and throw them into the waters as an offering to the gods. A game similar to football using a wooden ball called ‘Dad-Lawakor’ is also played.

The winners are said to gain special blessings from the gods for the coming months. Everyone also participates enthusiastically in singing and folk dancing. There’s even a symbolic killing of demons in a ritual called ‘Cher iung blai.’ A thatched hut made of grass is built and male tribe members come into it holding spears, “killing the demons” inside it. On the last day, a priest visits each home in town with a group of youths who climb the roofs and beat them with a bamboo stick. This is believed to chase away evil spirits.

The whole festival is a testament to the valuable connection between man and nature, which the people of Jaintia continue to celebrate year after year.