The cultural festival of 'Shad Suk Mynsiem', the 'dance of the joyful heart', is associated with which state?

Shad Suk Mynsiem is one of the most important festivals of the Khasi people of Meghalaya. It is celebrated every year in April, at the beginning of the spring season and the sowing season, mainly at the Weiking ground in Shillong.

The name "Shad Suk Mynsiem" means "the dance of the joyful (or peaceful) heart" in the Khasi language. The festival is a thanksgiving to God the Creator (U Blei Nongbuh Nongthaw) for the harvest of the previous year and a prayer for a good harvest and prosperity in the coming year. It is organised by the Seng Khasi, an organisation that works to preserve the traditional Khasi religion (Niam Khasi) and culture.

The festival is celebrated with traditional dances performed over three days. Unmarried young women, dressed in rich, colourful silk costumes and wearing gold and silver ornaments and crowns, dance in the inner circle with slow and graceful steps, keeping their eyes lowered, a symbol of modesty and purity. Young men, dressed in traditional costumes with feathered turbans and holding swords and whisks, dance in a wider outer circle around them, with more energetic movements. The arrangement shows the role of men as protectors of women and the family. The dance is accompanied by the music of drums (ksing) and pipes (tangmuri).

The Khasis follow a matrilineal system, in which the family name and property are passed down through the mother, and the youngest daughter (khadduh) inherits the ancestral house. Other important festivals of Meghalaya include Nongkrem (Khasi), Wangala (Garo) and Behdienkhlam (Jaintia).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Assam celebrates Bihu.
• ✗Mizoram celebrates Chapchar Kut and Pawl Kut.
• ✗Tripura celebrates Kharchi Puja and Garia Puja.