SSC
'Chad Sukra', a popular traditional dance festival of the Pnar (Jaintia) people of Meghalaya, is celebrated as a:
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Answer: Option C — Sowing festival
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Sowing festival. Chad Sukra is a traditional festival of the Pnar people, also known as the Jaintias, who live in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. It is celebrated in April or May, before the sowing of the seeds, to mark the beginning of the sowing season.
During the Chad Sukra festival, the Pnar people pray to their deities and to the spirits of nature, for a good harvest and for protection from natural calamities, such as storms, pests and diseases, which can destroy the crops. The festival also seeks blessings for the well-being of the people and their livestock. Chad Sukra is celebrated with traditional music, singing and dancing. Men and women perform traditional dances in their colourful costumes, to the beat of drums and the music of flutes, and the whole community comes together to celebrate. The festival reflects the close connection between the Pnar people and the land, and the importance of agriculture in their lives.
The most important festival of the Pnar people is Behdienkhlam, celebrated in July, after the sowing season. Its name means "driving away the plague", and during the festival, young men beat the roofs of houses with bamboo poles to drive away evil spirits and disease. The Laho dance is also performed during this festival. The Khasi people celebrate Shad Suk Mynsiem in April and Ka Pom-blang Nongkrem in October or November, and the Garo people celebrate Wangala, their harvest festival, in October or November.
About the other options:
Harvest festival is not correct, since Chad Sukra is held before the sowing, not after the harvest. Wangala of the Garos is the best-known harvest festival of Meghalaya.
New year festival is not correct for Chad Sukra.
Victory festival is not correct. Ka Shad Mastieh of the Khasis is described as a victory dance.
💡 Exam tip
Meghalaya's festivals are often asked with their purpose. Remember Chad Sukra (sowing, Pnar), Behdienkhlam (driving away disease, Pnar), Wangala (harvest, Garo) and Shad Suk Mynsiem (thanksgiving and spring, Khasi).💬 Discussions on this question
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.