Songsarek
Songsarek is the indigenous religion practiced by the Garo people of Meghalaya, India. Historically practiced by most of the tribe, only a minority of the tribe still follow it after many converted to Christianity.
Etymology
Anthropologist Erik de Maaker suggests that the word 'Songsarek' is connected to the Bengali language of the people residing in the plains adjacent to the Garo Hills. In Sanskrit, the word saà-sâra means ‘to be in the world’, as opposed to renouncing it. The word has now become part of the Garo language, and people use it to refer to themselves as 'the ones who are obeying the deities.'History
Songsarek was followed by majority of the Garo people historically. By the spread of Christianity in the Garo hills in the second half of the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century, the proportion of Songsarek population decreased.Beliefs and festivals
The Supreme God in Songsarek religion is the Tatara Rabuga, described in oral tradition as "one so high that he cannot be reached." His deputy is Misi Saljong, who is the God of Sun, crops and fertility and is worshipped in Wangala festival. Susime is the Goddess of wealth. During the Wangala festival, women wear skirts crafted from handwoven cloth made on looms. These skirts feature a traditional pattern resembling a diamond, symbolizing the eye of Susime, the Goddess of Wealth.The Rokkime is the Mother Goddess of Rice and is worshipped in the Agalmaka festival.
The Wagtail bird holds significant importance in Songsarek beliefs. Villagers carefully observe its flight patterns to predict the rainfall for the season.
Demographics
The number of the Songsarek followers in Meghalaya has declined from more than 88,000 as per 1991 Census to about 17,000 in 2011 Census. It was followed by 16% of the Garo in 1991 and decreased to 2% in 2011.In the Garo hills, currently only 13 to 15 villages out of the 150 villages are Songsarek majority villages.
In Bangladesh, 3.71% of the Garo people follows Songsarek