English: The Nongkrem Dance Festival of Meghalaya is celebrated during autumn at Smit, the cultural centre of the Khasi Hills. The two day celebration is the most popular festival for the inhabitants of Khasi hills. It can be termed as a grand carnival that involves flow of wealth, sacrifice of animals and an environment of religious fervour. The venue of the festival celebration is SMIT, an agricultural hamlet about 11km from the main town Shillong partially on the Jowai-Laitumbai Highway.

The Nongkrem dance form is associated with the religious beliefs of the Khasi people, and is an annual event in the Khasi hills. This festival locally named Ka Pomblang Nongrem, which over the years has been popularly termed as Nongkrem dance Festival. Nongkrem Dance Festival is performed to appease the all-powerful Goddess Ka Blei Synshar for a rich bumper harvest and prosperity of the people.

The dance is performed by young unmarried Khasi girls and has the typical essence of rich cultural heritage and traditional belief passed on through generations. The costume is in bright yellow ‘Jainsem’ with intricate embroidered panels and tassels and a silver crown headgear with autumn bloom of orchids and other flowers. Coral Beads of varied sizes form the intricate part of the necklace made out of 24 Carat gold, which is also part of the enchanting costume in yellow heavily decked attire. The girls dance in small groups of four and move in a slow rhythmic toe movement of feet in a circular path surrounded by energetic youth men who also wear the traditional costume.