The famous annual harvest festival of the Garos – Hundred Drums Wangala Festival kicked off on Thursday at the idyllic Asananggre Village of Rongram Block, 18 kms from Tura in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills with the first ever Wangala Eco Run, a 10-kilometre marathon.
The run was flagged off at the Asanang Playground and enthusiastic participants ran the track till Selbalgre which was the turning point and back again to Asanang Playground.
The Eco Run was organised by the 100 Drums Wangala Committee in collaboration with Tura Runners Club and District Sports Office, Tura and co-sponsored by ICFAI University and Tura Urban Co-operative Bank Limited.
A district level industrial exhibition is also organized as part of the three-day festival which was inaugurated by Chief Executive Member of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Dipul R Marak.
As part of Wangala festival, an indigenous slow cooking food festival is also being hosted.
Locally known as ‘brenga’ meaning which is cooked in bamboo tubes and ‘we?tepa’ which means steamed on low fire by wrapping with banana leaves was showcased on the occasion.
Notably, Wangala, the most significant post harvest festival of the Garos, is usually celebrated in the second week of November every year.
It is a thanksgiving ceremony for having blessed with rich harvest of the season.