In view of the COVID19 pandemic, the 100 Drums Wangala Festival will not be organisd this year.
This decision has been taken by the 100 Drums Wangala Organising Committee during an emergency meeting held at Asanang, the headquarters of the committee.
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The Asanang village of Rongram Block is located 18 km from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills.
The three-day 100 Drums Wangala Festival 2020 was scheduled to be held on November 12, 13, 14.
The 100 Drums Wangala Organising Committee in a statement issued on Wednesday said: “In view of the Coronavirus pandemic, (Covid19), the members of the 100 Drums Wangala Organising Committee in an emergent meeting held today at its Headquarter Asanang, resolved not to organize the 100 Drums Wangala Festival 2020 on Nov 12, 13, 14, 2020.”
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“Let’s stay safe and do our bit by wearing mask, maintaining distance and sanitizing hands,” said the convenor
of the publicity committee of 100 Drums Wangala Organising Committee.
The last, but not the least, of the ceremonies of the agricultural year is a thanksgiving ceremony offered to the gods and goddesses. Drums beat, rice beer flows, singing and dancing go on endlessly for days together.
Wangala Dance festival is the most important festival of the Garos as the post-harvest festival of the community.
The festival marks the end of a period of toil in the fields and harvesting of bumper crops.
The hills and valleys echo and re-echo with the sound of drums and general revelry.
The dancers make a queue of two parallel lines – one of the men and the other of women – both turning out in festive regalia.
The men beat the drums and move forward in the tune with the sound of music flowing out of gongs, buffalo-horn, flutes and the drums.
Every year during the festival, a large number of people, including foreign and domestic tourists, gathered at Asanang village to enjoy the event.
However, due to COVID19 pandemic, the organisers have dropped the plan to hold the festival.
Till Wednesday, the number of active cases registered in Meghalaya was 1,355 while the state’s death toll stood at 19.