Wangala is also called the festival of "The Hundred Drums", a

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

celebrated by the

Garo Garo may refer to: People and languages * Garo people, a tribal people in India ** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe Places * Kingdom of Garo, a former kingdom in southern Ethiopia * Garo, Colorado * Garo Hills, part of the Ga ...

tribe, who live in

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and Greater

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north- ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. In this post harvest festival, they give thanks to Misi Saljong the sun god, for blessing the people with a rich harvest. Wangala is celebrated in the months from September to December, with different villages setting different dates for the occasion.

History of modern Wangala

The first Hundred Drums Wangala Festival was organized on 6 and 7 December 1976 at Asanang, near the Rongram C&RD Block Office, 18 km from Tura, India. Since then, it has been celebrated every year. The festival has grown so big as to include dance troupes from outside Garo Hills such as

and

Karbi Anglong Karbi may refer to: Places * Karbi, Armenia * Karbi Anglong Plateau, an extension of the Indian Plate in Assam, India * Karbi Anglong district, a district of Assam, north-eastern India Other uses * Karbi people, an ethnic group of North-eas ...

, with a sizeable amount of prize money up for grabs awarded to the best performing dance troupe. The 100 Drums Festival is a state-sponsored event, attracting many local, national and international tourists every year. Wangala Dance

The Celebrations

Wangala is traditionally celebrated for two to three days - or up to a week - by two or three collaborating villages; though recently it has been celebrated for one day in metropolitan areas as an attempt to conserve the ancient heritage of the

tribe and to expose the younger generation to their roots. True traditional styles of celebrating Wangala can be found in remote "Songsarek" (

animistic Animism (from Latin: ' meaning ' breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, ...

) villages such as Sadolpara in

West Garo Hills West Garo Hills is an administrative district in Garo Hills of the state of Meghalaya in India. Tura town is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district occupies an area of 3714 km². In 2011 its population was 643,291. As ...

district of

, where people who worship the old gods still persist in their way of life; all the while rejecting

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. A much more hyped and commercialised variant of Wangala can be observed in the 100 Drums Festival held at Asanang in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, where performers (who may or may not be

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and not Songsarek) are invited from all over Garo Hills, and even from far off places such as

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...

and

which have sizeable pockets of Garo inhabitants. This mega event is held for three days and is a host to various fan favourites such as sports, food, art and culture. Tura, the cultural, financial and de facto political heartland of the

Garos Garos is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territo ...

, is mainly represented by the students of Christian Girls' Higher Secondary School, Tura (which teaches the dance to its students as an essential part of the curriculum) at every 100 Drums Festival. ''Rugala'' (lit. The Pouring of

rice beer Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the ...

) and ''Cha·chat So·a'' (lit.

Incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...

burning) are the rituals performed on the first day by the priest, who is known as "Kamal". These rituals are performed inside the house of the ''Nokma'' (chieftain i.e. the husband of the woman who holds power over an a'king) of the village. ''Dama Gogata'', the dance with drums, flutes and assorted brass instruments by men and women in colourful dresses and proud headgear - a picture which is synonymous with visuals of Wangala - is performed on the last day of the days-long celebration. During Wangala, people young and old dress in their colourful garments (''Dakmanda", Daksari'', or ''Gando'') and feathered headgear (''do'me'') and dance to music played on long, oval-shaped drums (''Dama''). ''Katta Doka'' (talking in a singing style/traditional tribal rapping), ''Ajia'', ''Dani Doka'' (describing Wangala by singing), ''Chambil Mesaa'' or the Pomelo Dance are performed during these days.

References

External links

Wangala Dance
government of Meghalaya

Garos Celebrate Wanna: After Seventy Years (The Daily Star)

Traditions and heritage of the Garos on the wane (The Daily Star)

*{{cite news , url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/The-Hundred-Drums-Wangala/article15616905.ece , title=The Hundred Drums Wangala , date=24 November 2012 , newspaper=The Times of India , first=Pheroze L. , last=Vincent , accessdate=5 March 2020 Harvest festivals Culture of Meghalaya Festivals in India Tourist attractions in Meghalaya September observances November observances December observances Hindu festivals in India