Wangala's golden jubilee is to sound a thousand drums in West Garo Hills
28 October 2026
Meghalaya is getting ready for the golden jubilee edition of Wangala, the festival usually billed as the 100 Drums Wangala Festival. Over fifty years it has gathered the Garo community to offer thanks to Misi Saljong once the harvest is in. For the jubilee the government says 1000 drums will sound on the field instead of a hundred. The theme is Our Culture, Our Identity, and the dates are 11 to 14 November 2026, in West Garo Hills. Wangala is a thanksgiving held after harvest, and the drum, struck in long lines of dancers, is the instrument at its heart. In Garo belief Misi Saljong is the deity of the sun and of the harvest.
In plain words
Wangala Wangala — The Garo post-harvest thanksgiving festival of Meghalaya, marked by long rows of drummers and dancers.
Misi Saljong Misi Saljong — The sun and harvest deity of Garo belief, to whom Wangala is offered.