Festival of hundred drums

Every autumn, after the harvest season, the garos, or achiks, as they prefer to be called, celebrate the festival of wangala. In every garo village, the festival includes goddess of all crops, for a good harvest, and rituals that span four days and four nights. The festival begin with series of prayers and sacrifices that enable soon turns to gaiety as men and women dance to the accompaniment of elongated drums, coupled with the eating of rice cooked from the new crop. The hills literally reverberate as the garos, in tune with the thunder of the drums, take on the avtars of insects, birds and animals.