- Usually in November
- Garo Hills, Meghalaya
- Hundred Drums Festival near Tura
Where it began
The Garo honour Misi Saljong, the sun god, as the giver of crops. Wangala thanks him at the end of the harvest, after the work in the fields is done.
In the village, the Nokma, or chief, leads the first rites. Offerings of the new crop and rice beer are made, and music of drums and gongs begins.
Men and women in bright dress and feather headgear dance in rows to the beat of long drums called dama, moving together as one.
How it grew over time
Old times
Each Garo village holds Wangala after the harvest with offerings and dance.
1976
The Hundred Drums Wangala Festival is first held near Tura, bringing many villages together.
Later years
The event grows into a big showcase of Garo culture.
Today
Wangala is kept in villages and in the large gathering at Asanang near Tura.
How it is celebrated in different places
Asanang near Tura
Groups from many villages dance to a hundred drums in a single field.
Garo villages
Families hold the old rites, share rice beer and dance through the night.
Garo communities in Assam
Garo villages in Assam keep Wangala with song and drums.
Wangala today
Wangala is a joyful time of music, dance and feasting. Visitors come to watch the hundred drums, and families celebrate together, giving thanks for the harvest and for each other.
