Female dancers wear expensive silk cloth around their waist that extends to their ankles and a full-sleeved velvet jacket of either black or brown colour. A piece of silken cloth also hangs from one side of the shoulders known as Kyrshah-Dhara. They also wear a sort of under-garment known as Nohta Sor. The male dancers also wear neck ornaments such as necklaces, shoulder ornaments and ear-rings. While dancing they put on a turban called as Jingspong with a yellow-red colour plume i.e. Thuia. A sling is tied to the left side of the shoulder to put arrows. The male dancers wear a belt made of either gold or silver and behind that belt again a plume is kept. The male dancers put on sleeveless coats made of either velvet or 'Banat.' These are generally made of dark colours with gold embroidery work done. They also wear a dhoti of the same Dhara like the girls wear. During this particular festival the silk attires worn by the male and the female dancers are made by a special class of weavers, known as Salkuchi of Sylhet. Apart from these weavers no other weavers are allowed to prepare the dresses for the Khasis. Cotton dresses are woven at the Khasi hills. According to the Khasi mythology these dresses were earlier manufactured in Tibet and Burma but gradually the Salkuchis monopolised it. |