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FESTIVALS
WANGALA
(October – November):
This is the biggest of all the festivals of the Garos performed
in connection with the Jhum Cultivation. This is usually held
in October, but each village sets its own time and so there
are two or three weeks during which Wangala is celebrated
in one or two villages. The festival of a single village lasts
about a week. This festival is observed to honour and offer
sacrifices to their greatest God called Saljong (Sun-God).
The festival is initiated right in the field by simple but
impressive ceremony known as Rugala, followed by the ceremony
of incense known as ‘Chachat Soa’. This is performed
inside the house of the Nokma or Chief of the village. The
Nokma, amidst burning of incense, beating of drums and chanting
of the people, utters a few words of incantation and pours
rice beer and sprinkles rice powder over a collection of field
produces offered to the gods. The drinking, dancing and merry
making in their colourful costumes with feathered headgear
start to the tunes of music played on long oval shaped drums.
DOREGATA
DANCE
Doregata Dance festival is another interesting dance where,
while dancing the women try to knock off the turbans of their
male partner using their head. If the women succeed, it is
followed by peals of laughter.
CHAMBIL MESARA OR POMELO DANCE
The Chambil mesara or Pomelo Dance is a solo dance-form, which
requires skill. The performer dangles a pomelo on a cord tied
to his waist and then hurls it around without any perceptible
movement of the hips. Expert dancers can hurl two separate
fruits hung on a cord.
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