The annual Behdeiñkhlam of the Pnar community culminated at the sacred pool of Aitnar here in Meghalaya’s West Jaiñtia Hills where thousands of people participated in the post-sowing period religious festival.

Around 12 colourful raths depicting messages on drug menace, environmental degradation, and even addiction to PUBG, descended into the sacred pool. Jowai is around 65km from Shillong.

There was a rath depicting a man with an oxygen mask with a message saying earth was created for all forms of life and not just humans. “Heal the earth, heal the future,” it said. Another rath had a message saying, “Life has no rewind. Say no to drugs. Drugs are a death trap.”

Another rath carried the message, “God gave us green, now let us keep it clean. Clean and green is our perfect dream.”

Behdeiñkhlam, which means “chasing away the demon of plague”, is celebrated annually in the last week of June or the first few weeks of July after the sowing period is over, to appease the harvest gods.

The festival is mainly celebrated by those who practise Ka Niamtre. It is an agrarian festival and expresses the relationship between man and God, man and nature, and man with man.

Behdeiñkhlam is a joint effort to drive away evil and disease where the prayers and sacrifices offered to God are for the health of the economy and society.

The festival is celebrated for four days and three nights. During this festival family members and relatives who stay afar also come home and spend time with their dear ones. The day was spent amid prayers, worship and fanfare. Throughout, prayers were offered to U Tre Kirot (Almighty God) to drive away evils that plague humanity.

The final act at Aitnar was the placing of khnong blai (sacred tree) right in the middle of the pool while everyone rushed to get a foothold on it amid exaltation filling the air.