About Wangala Festival
Wangala is the post-harvest thanksgiving of the Garo (A·chik) people, offered to Misi Saljong, the sun god who is thanked for the crops. Villages hold it on their own dates between September and December, and the best-known gathering is the 100 Drums Wangala Festival outside Tura in West Garo Hills. In 2026, Meghalaya's state holiday for Wangala falls on Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
The Garos, who call themselves A·chik, number about 8.2 lakh in Meghalaya by the 2011 census, with more in Assam, Tripura and the Mymensingh region of Bangladesh. Wangala is their largest festival. It closes the farming year: the jhum rice is in, and the first of it is offered to Misi Saljong before the family eats from the new crop.
Who is thanked, and when
Misi Saljong is the sun god of the old Garo faith, Songsarek. He is also called Pattigipa Ra·rongipa, which the Highland Post renders as "the great giver". The West Garo Hills district site describes him as the god who gives nature's bounty and keeps the people prosperous.
There is no single date. The East Garo Hills district site says each village fixes its own Wangala between September and December, often with two or three neighbouring villages, and the festival can last two or three days or up to a week. The West Garo Hills site narrows it to October or November. The Nokma, the head of the village who holds its clan land, arranges the food and rice beer.
Most Garos in India are now Christian. Wikipedia, citing ThePrint, puts the share at about 90 per cent, and the full rites survive mainly in a few Songsarek villages such as Sadolpara in West Garo Hills. For Christian Garos, Wangala has become a festival of identity rather than worship. At the 2025 festival, Meghalaya's tourism minister Timothy D. Shira said it now goes beyond religion and region and unites all Garos.
The rites and the dance
Accounts differ on when the first rites fall. Wikipedia says the priest performs them on the first day, while the Highland Post's 2023 report says the Nokma performed Rugala a day before the festival. The broad order is the same.
- RugalaRice beer is poured as an offering to Misi Saljong inside the Nokma's house. The Kamal, the village priest, leads it.
- Cha·chat So·aIncense is burnt as a second offering of thanks. At the 100 Drums festival it is performed on the ground in front of the crowd.
- The new cropOnly after these rites does the household eat from the new harvest.
- Dama GogataOn the last day the drums, flutes and horns come out for the main dance.
The dance is what most people picture. Men and women form two parallel lines and shuffle forward together. The men beat the dama, a long, oval drum, along with gongs and buffalo horns. Women wear the dakmanda, a woven wrap, and many dancers wear the do·me, a feathered headdress.
The 100 Drums Wangala Festival
After Meghalaya became a state in 1972, Garo leaders led by Captain Williamson A. Sangma, the state's first chief minister, started a combined festival to protect Garo traditions. Shira credited him and Sendfort K. Marak, then arts and culture minister, at the 2025 festival. The first one was held at Asanang, near Tura, in December 1976.
The festival now has a permanent ground, the Wangala A·dam at Chibragre in West Garo Hills, beside a Garo Heritage Village with a nokpante, the young men's dormitory, and a traditional house built for visitors and researchers. Village troupes compete for the dance prize. Chidaogre won in 2025, with Gondenggre and Sadolbra as runners-up. The festival theme song, "Dimdim Dimchong Dachichong", opens the programme. Food stalls sell Garo dishes such as brenga, cooked in a bamboo tube, and we·tepa, steamed in banana leaf.
The 50th edition, in November 2026, was planned on a larger scale. The state press release of 7 October 2026 said about 1,000 drums would replace the usual hundred, with troupes from Nagaland, Assam and Tripura. A Bangladesh troupe could not attend because of pending visas. The ritual year continues after the drums go quiet: in December 2025 the festival committee held A·ba Opata, a Songsarek rite done in silence before jhum land is cleared.
Beyond Meghalaya
Garos in Assam hold their own Wangala gatherings, and who speaks for them can be contested. In 2025 Assam gave a restricted holiday on 7 November for a Wangala festival at Tinglijan in Karbi Anglong, while Garo bodies in Assam refused to recognise a separate event planned in Goalpara because it had not consulted them. In Bangladesh, Garos in greater Mymensingh keep Wangala after the Kartik harvest, and a Wangala is held in Dhaka.
If you know the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland or Kut in Manipur, the 100 Drums festival is the Garo counterpart: an old village thanksgiving turned into a public stage after statehood.
What to write
Do
- Send the wish on the state holiday or during the festival days, and mention the drums or the trip home to Tura.
- Ask whether the person's family keeps Wangala as worship or as heritage before you add any religious line.
- Use A·chik or Garo, whichever the person uses for themselves.
Avoid
- Don't call the dress a costume or the people primitive or exotic.
- Don't joke about rice beer, or send alcohol unless you know the family drinks.
- Don't assume every Garo village holds Wangala on the state holiday. Village dates differ.
Happy Wangala. I hope the drums at home are loud this year and the granary is full. Thinking of you and your family as you give thanks for the harvest.
Wishing you a happy Wangala. I hope you get time at home in Garo Hills, good food with family, and a proper rest after a long season.
Happy Wangala from all of us. I know it's hard to miss the drums at home this year. Here's to dancing in the line again next November.
All the best for the Wangala dance. May your troupe's drums keep time and your line move as one. We'll be cheering from the crowd.
Wangala greetings to you both. Thank you for welcoming me into your home. Wishing you good health, a full harvest and your children close by.
Happy Wangala to everyone celebrating. Wishing you and your families a good harvest, safe travel home and a year of plenty.
- A·chik
- The Garos' own name for themselves and their language
- Misi Saljong
- The sun god thanked at Wangala
- Pattigipa Ra·rongipa
- Another name for Misi Saljong, the great giver
- Songsarek
- The traditional Garo faith
- Nokma
- Village head who holds the clan land and hosts the rites
- Kamal
- The Songsarek priest
- Rugala
- The offering of rice beer
- Cha·chat So·a
- The offering of incense
- Dama
- The long Garo drum
- Dakmanda
- Women's woven wrap
- Wangala A·dam
- The festival's permanent ground at Chibragre
See every festival date in the 2026 calendar.
How to wish someone on Wangala Festival
A Wangala wish gives thanks for the harvest and hopes for full granaries, good health and a kind sowing season ahead. Most Garos in India are Christian and keep Wangala as heritage, while Songsarek families keep it as worship, so a warm note about home, the drums and the harvest suits both. Mention the person's village troupe or the trip to Tura if you know of it, and leave out jokes about rice beer or calling the dress a costume.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Garo (A·chik).
When is Wangala Festival in each year?
Wangala Festival falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 1 day later than in 2026. Wangala Festival runs 4 days.
- 2026may vary by location
- 2027may vary by location
- 2028may vary by location
Frequently asked questions
When is Wangala Festival in 2026?
Wangala Festival 2026 falls from Wednesday, 11 November 2026 to Saturday, 14 November 2026. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
What does Wangala celebrate?
Wangala is the Garo thanksgiving after the rice harvest. It is offered to Misi Saljong, the sun god of the traditional Songsarek faith, and the new crop is eaten only after the rites of Rugala and Cha·chat So·a.
Why is Wangala called the 100 Drums Festival?
The name comes from the combined festival near Tura, where ten village troupes of ten drummers each play together. The first 100 Drums Wangala was held at Asanang in December 1976, and the 50th edition in 2026 was planned with about 1,000 drums.
Where is the 100 Drums Wangala Festival held?
It began at Asanang near Tura in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya. It is now held at the Wangala A·dam, the festival's permanent ground at Chibragre, beside a Garo Heritage Village.
Do Christian Garos celebrate Wangala?
Yes, most Garos in India are Christian, and many dance at Wangala as a festival of Garo identity. The offerings to Misi Saljong belong to the Songsarek faith, and the full village rites survive mainly in Songsarek villages.
How do you wish someone a happy Wangala?
"Happy Wangala" is the usual greeting in English. A good Wangala message thanks the person's family for the year's harvest and wishes them full granaries, good health and a good sowing season ahead.
Is Wangala on the same day in every village?
No. Each village or group of villages fixes its own Wangala between September and December. The Meghalaya state holiday falls in the week of the 100 Drums festival near Tura, usually in the first half of November.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .