THE Wangala or the Hundred Drums is a harvest festival of the Garo people of Meghalaya. The festival is essentially a thanksgiving ceremony expressing gratitude to the God of Fertility Misi Saljong for blessing the people with a bountiful harvest after a year-long toil.
On the first day of the festival, the village chief performs a ritual called the rugala in which offerings of rice and vegetables are made to the gods. On the second day a ceremony called kakkat is performed. People of all ages, dressed in colourful costumes and feathered headgear, gather to perform the Wangala dance to the rhythmic beat of the ovalshaped drums. The drums are accompanied by gongs and flutes made of buffalo horn.
Although the festival has been celebrated since time immemorial, its modern version was organised to preserve and promote the cultural identity of the Garo people. Since 1976, the Wangala dance festival is organized at Asanang in November each year, in which ten troupes each comprising 30 dancers and 10 drummers participate. Hence the festival is also known as the Hundred Drums Festival.
The Wangala ceremony is usually held at the famous limestone caves of Siju in the Garo hills. Many tourists visit Meghalaya around this time to witness the colourful festival.