Meghalaya and Mizoram Culture Diary!

Meghalaya Culture Diary

Amidst the Eastern Himalayas, lies the ‘abode of clouds’ – Meghalaya. The state which has the wettest place on earth and breathtaking views. If you love rock music then you must visit Shillong, known as the ‘Scotland of the East‘. It is a state where women empowerment is witnessed in reality. The three major tribes are Garo, Khasi and Jaintias.

Nohkalikai falls, Cherrapunji

Traditions of Meghalaya

The state follows the matriarchal culture, that is, woman is the head of house. A man after marriage moves in with woman’s family. The business are named after woman, generally starting with ‘Ka’. The Garos follow two types of marriage system i.e. the Nokrom marriage and the Agate marriage. In the Nokrom marriage, the male ties knot with the heiress of the family and reside with her in her natal home. In Agate, the husband and wife stay separately in the wife’s village after few years.

Source: Holidify(dot)com

Dresses of Meghalaya

Garo women wear long cotton woven fabric with blouse called Dakmanda. The Khasi women wear a specially designed dress called as Jainsen and even carry the kids in baby bags hung on shoulders.

Men usually wear dhoti like garments with a headgear or turban.

Festivals of Meghalaya

Wangala Festival is the festival of 100 drums celebrated to mark the festival of harvest by Garo tribes. Nongkrem Dance Festival is a five-day harvest festival celebrated by the Khasi tribe, it has colorful celebrations in form of dances.

Image Source: triptaptoe.com

Food of Meghalaya

Rice along with meat is a part of staple diet for all the tribes. Rice beer is fermented and consumed along with the food.

Special Mention

Apart from the rock capital and the rainfall, the state also is home to the bridge of living roots. It is a natural wonder and a must to see once you visit the state. It is also the only state in country to be home to majority of Christians in the state population.

Image Source : National Geographic

I had visited Shillong and Cherrapunji during my official training and I had loved both these cities. Have you visited Meghalaya or Mizoram. What are your favorite memories about these places?

Mizoram Culture Diary

Mizo culture is full of vibrancy and it is unlike any other culture witnessed in India. It is known as ‘Songbird of India’. Folklore believes that the origin of most tribes is from Khul, a mystical cave in China. British invasion had influenced the tribal people to take up Christianity.

Festivals of Mizoram

Anthurium Festival organized by the tourism department to promote the cultivating of the flowers and tourism in the state. Another interesting festival is organized in November, before the harvesting season Thalfavang Kut. They also celebrate a festival which involves bamboo dancing known as Chachpar Kut.

Source: Alamy

Dresses of Mizoram

The traditional dresses have intricate designs done through their looms. Puan is a common garment worn by both men and women. Ethnic attire also include the use of Puanchei and Kawrchei (a colorful blouse).

Food of Mizoram

Rice and fish are staple diet for the people of the state. Another interesting part of their diet is delicacies made of bamboo shoots.

Source: EatTreat

Arts & Crafts

Handicraft works from bamboo, cane works or basketry are famous and people are skilled in making these. The people also indulge in making smoking pipes and two types of pipes Vaibel and Tuibur are used by men and women respectively.

Special Mention

If you remember your geography lessons, then you would know that Tropic of Cancer lies very close to the city of Aizwal in Mizoram.

Image Source: thegreenpastures(dot)com

Have you visited Mizoram? What was your best part of the stay in this state?


This post is written as part of Indian Culture Diary series for #A2ZChallenge.

Post Author: Dishki

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