Behdienkhlam Festival

It is the most important and unique dance festival of the Jaintias. It is the most colorful religious festival. This festival is believed to be handed over to the Jowai people by the 'Seven Huts' who came down from heaven and started a new life on earth. It had been foretold that there would be a widespread plaque in the locality and to ward it off the Jaintia sought help from their protector deitied Mulong, U Mukhai and Musniang who advised them to hold the festival annually in the spirit of good will, brotherhood and joy. It is celebrated after the sowing period is over.

A month-long preparation and the minor religious ceremonies involving sacrifices were being performed by the Lyngdoh precede the great event. A month before the festival, a sacrifice known as 'Knia Khang' is performed to ward off all evils. The underlying idea and purpose of this festival is to drive away all evils that plague the human life. At Jowai town, this festival can be seen being celebrated during the month of July.

A day before the sacrifice, male members of the seven chosen localities of Jowai go to bring back the Dein Khlam or plague driving trees. They will have to be felled and make ready a week earlier. These big trees are not brought directly but are kept halfway for the night in a place called Iawmusiang. On the second day, these trees are erected at the centre of each locality. Young men make a symbolic driving away of the evil spirits by beating the roof of every house with bamboo poles. This is done early on the first day of the festival, people dance on the stree with the accompaniment of drum beating and pipe playing. Each locality made a very colorful tower-like structure known as 'rot' to be carried by around 60-70 people to be immersed and destroyed in the wah-eit-nar. The climax of the celebrations is the tussle, as seen in a tug-of-war, for a large tree big in size known as 'Khnong' is being immersed in a muddy ditch called "wah-eit-nar". The immersion ceremony is preceded by religious rites and sacrifices at the sacred pool in the early hours of the morning Mud is generously smeared by the participants on each other which resembles the Holi celebrations of the plains.

In the afternoon datlawakor is played between two teams from the upper and lower valleys of the Myntdu river. It is a kind of soccer with a wooden ball. The sides who wins are believed to be blessed with a good harvest. The Daloi will act as referee.

This festival is also an invocation to God seeking His blessings for a good harvest. Women offers sacrificial food to the spirits of the ancestors and the ancestress.

Laho Dance

The Jaintia People have another dance festival for entertainment. It is called the Laho dance. Members of both the sexes participate in this dance festival, attired in their best finery, usually two young men on either side of a girl, linking arms together, dance in step. In place of the usual drums and pipe, there is a cheer leader, usually a man gifted with the talent of spontaneous recitation. He recites ribald couplets to the merriment of the audience.