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Shad Nongkrem
 The Khasis and Pnars have holy festivals as well as worldly celebrations. A very significant and elaborate festival among the Khasis is the Shad Nongkrem (Nongkrem
dance) held annually at Smit, the capital of the Khyrem Syiemship near
Shillong.
This is used to be held in the past in the month of May but for some years the date has been shifted to November.
An important part of this festival is Pomblang (decapitation of goats), at which goats offered by subjects of the
Syiem of Khyrem are sacrificed and offerings are made to the ancestor and ancestress of the ruling clan to the first uncle to the divinity of
Shillong peak. Religious part of the festival precedes dances, in which unmarried girls in all their finery participate.
The men's dancing is naturally more hearty and energetic. They hold a sword in their right hand and usually a white Yak hair whisk in their left hand, keeping time to the changing beats of drums and playing of the tangmuri or pipes.
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