When it comes to name all the festivals of India , the list stands long with Northeast also being a proud contributor in celebrating a vast number of festivals. North East India is blessed with many ethnic groups with each having their own unique culture, customs, languages and dress. The entire northeast is not just blessed with diverse natural beauty, the people too are as culturally diverse as possible. And since Agriculture is the main source of income in these states so most of the festivals here are celebrated around the harvest season.
Today lets get a glimpse of the Wangala Festival of Meghalaya which is a most popular festival among the Garos of Meghalaya, India. Wangala Festival is basically a harvest festival held in honour of Saljong, the Sun-god of fertility. Marking the end of struggle and celebrating the beginning of productivity in the fields is the main essence of the celebration of the Wangala Festival . Hence it is considered to be a post-harvest celebration of thanksgiving. It also signifies the onset of winter.
Wangala Festival is also known as a 100 drums festival which has been celebrated since the year 1976, it highlights the occasion when the members of the Garo tribe offer sacrifices to please their main deity Saljong – the Sun God. The first 100 Drums Wangala Festival was organized in the winter of 1976 at Assanang, the headquarters of Rongram Development Block.
This festival is held in the second week of November each year in Asanang village near Tura in the Garo Hills . The celebration is held for two days and sometimes continues for even a week. The ceremony performed on first day is known as “Ragula” which is performed inside the house of the chief. The village chief called Nokma performs rituals a day before the festival begins during which freshly brewed rich beer, cooked rice and vegetables are offered to Misi Saljong .Then comes the second day which is known as “Kakkat”. The Nokma performs Sasat Sowa ceremony (marked by burning of incense) at the central pillar of his house to mark the beginning of the Wangala Festival. So as the celebration starts people of all ages come in their colourful costumes with feathered headgears to attend and dance to the tune of music played on long oval-shaped drums. With the goosebumps created by the drums this also sounds equally relaxing with the extraordinary beat of drums. The tribe shows their different dance forms with different variations during the festival , the main motif being a queue of two parallel lines – one of men and other of women clad in their festive fineries. The entire community joins the the festivities with equal energy and enthusiasm. While the men beat the drums, the line moves forward in a rhythmic way. The ‘orchestra’ of men includes drums, gong and accompanied by the music of a primitive flute made of buffalo horn. People from different Garo villages come together to celebrate their cultural uniqueness. There are also various cultural competitions, industrial exhibitions, martial arts and mainly dances by various groups.
Wangala Festival is organizeed every year by a group of Garo Intellectuals with an aim to preserve and promote the culture and festival. Apparently a group of 30 dancers with 10 drums would form a group and 10 such groups will be there. So 100 drummers and 300 dancers together make up what is now known as the “100 Drums Wangala Festival”.
Basically, the Wangala Festival is a way to preserve and promote the cultural identity of Garos in Meghalaya. This is one way to exhibit the culture and tradition of the region.
