Department of Arts and Culture

Various Forms of Festivals and Ceremonies of the Garos

Iris W. Thomas

As the Garos are mainly agriculturists, their main festivals coincide with the annual agricultural cycle. They attach much importance to the worship of the spirits which rule the seasons, to maintain harmony with the spirits and thus obtain theirblessings in the form of good harvest. They start their festivals with due solemnity, through invocations and prayers made to various spirits of the jhum season. These ceremonies slowly build up towards the final and most important social function of the garos " The Wangala" or harvest festival, during which a lot of feasting, singing, dancing and other social activities take place. An important is the Katta Agana or story telling by the bards and minstrels, and singing competitions through the singing of Doroa and Ajea where competitors try to out do each other. It is time for romancing for the young and the choosing of life partners.

The annual festival begins with several preliminary religious ceremonies, which commence from the beginning of the year. The first of these is the 'O' pata ceremony, when a man first decides on the plot of land which he intends to cultivate. If he has a good dream that night, he takes it as a good omen and starts cultivating. However, if he has an unpleasant dream, then he takes it as a bad omen and abandons the plot and look for a better one.

The next ceremony is the Den'bilsia ceremony. This marks the cutting down of the trees and bamboo and the clearing of the land. It takes place in the months of January and February. This ritual is performed in the Nokma's (Headman's) house, for Rokimema, the goddess of rice, pleading her to dwell in their field and thus bless it with good harvest. The garos believe that if the land is not cleared of all its uncleanness and disease Minimaa Rokime (mother of rice) will not bless them with her presence. So, they not only clear their jhum fields at this time, but also their homes and surrounding areas.

The A'galmaka or A'gal doa ceremony follows this and according to Robbins Burling it " is second only to wangala in importance". This is the jhum burning ceremony of the new field and the first of the important rituals in connection with the jhum cultivation festivals. Here, a cock and rice beer are offered ( Churarona) to invoke the blessing of Sre Tonggitchak-Gitok-Warika. The mother of fire, to free the land from any profanation, pollution, and desecration through fire. Then millet seeds are scattered in all directions for good harvest. After the sowing of the seeds everyone returns to the village. The elders circulate from house to house in the day time and the young visit the same house all night. Time is generally spent in feasting, dancing, singing and merry-making.

The next important festival is Rongchu Gala or Ginde Gala which is a thanks-giving for the first fruits to Misi Saljong, the God who first taught man the technique of cultivation. It is said that, previously, the Garos lived only on the natural and seasonal products of the land, like a variety of yam and herbs. It was Misi Saljong who gave the first rice seeds (mibitchri) the seeds of which were handed down from generation as Rongjanggi, and taught the technique of cultivation-using the seasons. Thus , the rainy season indicated the time for sowing the seeds and the dry season marked the harvest period. The offering consists of freshly plucked and pounded, flattened or powdered rice or millet, served on a plantain leaf. The other items offered are citrus and sugarcane cut into pieces and sprinkled with rice beer. There is great feasting and singing and playing of gongs but no dancing takes place. Following this, a small but special ceremony is observed called Jamegapa-Ahaua which signifies the reaping of the jhum products. While carrying the last sheaves of crop to the house, the children follow the person carrying the sheave and utter the sound "Ahaua" The rice grains of the Medong or sheave are kept to be made into rice beer for use during the Wangala festival.

Finally we come to the most Important festival and that is the Wangala or harvest festival, which ushers in the final stage of cultivation. ( It is believed that it was the God of the underground Meenma Drongma who enlightened man on the details of performing the Wangala. The other names for Wangala are Drua Wanbola or Wanna Rongchua. This is celebrated with great pomp grandeur and gay abandon, when the harvest of all jhum crops have been fully gathered in the month of October. The day for celebration is fixed according to the convenience of each village and goes on for a week. The Garos will not take any of the crops produced in their jhum lands till the performance of the Wangala. There is a deep underlined meaning behind the observance of these festivals. It is a movement of thanks giving to Misi A'pipa Saljong Gatapa, as well as a binding of reverant farewell to the Gods who have blessed them for the year. The Wangala celebration can be divided into two stages. The first stage Chu-Rugala is a solemn ritual performed by the priest (Kamal). The rice beer prepared from the " Medong" (mensioned earlier), and no other beer is used during this ceremony to Saljong. Cha'chat or incence are burnt at the center paot of the house. Following this rice powder is mixed with water into a paste with which the poats and beams of the Nokma's house is decorated. This is done in every house. The guests are also smeared with the paste on their backs. This is known as Wanti toka.

The second stage is Cha'chat so'a meaning burning of incense. The Garos get their incense (which is a form resin) from the bark of a certain tree Cha'chat bol, which they believe was made by God before all the other trees. This ceremony by the priest in the Nokma's house where the sacred drum is hung. On this day, rice is scattered all around the Nokma's house signifying the season of rain and hail. Incense is burnt till the whole room is smoky to signify the coming of rain clouds. Through out this ritual the Kram or sacred drum, the Rang or gong and Dama or big drums are played ceaselessly. When the ritual is over, rice and curry are served directly by hand to all the guests amidst much joviality. The young and old form their own groups and start dancing to the beating of drums,gongs,blowing of flutes and horns led by the Nokma who does the Grika or warrior dance. The dancers present about fifty different styles of dancing imitating animals and birds and depicting everyday events. This is also the time for choosing of life partners. Folks sit around the fire and sing songs related to Wangala, for example, Aiea, Dani doka, Kurama sala, Chomai, Kore doka, Doro agana, Gosai ring'a , etc. The culminating ceremony is the Rusrota observed for the safe keeping of the crops in the granaries.

Another festival celebrated by the A'kawes and Chisaks of the North and North-eastern region is Gure wata or releasing of the horse God, who is taken as the God of fertility and wealth. This stems from the belief that, if due reverence is not given to this deity it can take away the fertility of the land on which one is cultivating. Being an agricultural based society, the fortunes of a man depend greatly on the soil. The image of the horse is fashioned out of straw and plantain trunk, decorated and taken round the whole village by the priest, followed by dancing villagers. This goes on for three days and two nights. Finally the horse is taken to a stream and thrown into the water. The head however, is preserved for the next year.

Besides the agricultural festivals, the Garos also place great importance to, the Mangona ceremony which is a post funeral ceremony performed every year for all who have died during the year. This is specially prevalent among the Garo-Ganching, Matchi, Atong, Chibok, Ruga and Me'gams who place more importance to this occasion than the Wangala. It is a mystic gathering of the living and the spirits who performed the last rites together. The Garos believe that spirit of a man never leaves the house, and it never finds its way to the land of the spirits unless this ritual is performed. On the day of the ceremony the bones of the deceased, which have been buried of hung for the whole year in a conical basket called "Sekrek", are taken out and a sacred dance is performed by the women folk. They go from house to house retracing the steps of the dead person who used to visit these homes. In this way, the family bids their final farewell to the departed soul. The spirits present are supposed to guide the soul to the land beyond. In the evening, the " delang" or bamboo encloser erected by the family over the bones of the dead person are set on fire. The " sansare a'sea" or the seeds collected from the field of the deceased, are burnt along, so that the spirits can show the same seeds in the spirits land. The evening is spent with various social activities like singing of particular songs like Grap mangatata, Rere sala, Gonda doka and Chera sola. Games like Gando makal a kind of wrestling is also played. This is also a time when marriages are arranged, debts are repaid and misunderstandings and problems are resolved.

Another important festival observed every year by the whole village is the A'songtata ceremony. This is observed to safeguard the village as a whole, their fields and forests from disease and misfortune through out the year. A goat is sacrificed on the "A'song" or "Kosi" ( stoned erected at the entrance of the village and considered sacred). This is followed by the crucifixion of a langur ( Entellus monkey) or bamboo rat which is tied up and suspended from a bamboo tree and offered to " Kalkame- Kalgira", the guardian spirit. Bamboo spikes are then fixed all around the body called " Wa'chol chaka". It signifies then warding off all misfortune, sickness and dangers from wild animals.

Ganna Mite ceremony is yet another ceremony performed every year by the Nokma only, to " Saljong Mite" the God of food crops. It is considered an essential sacrifice. If in case the Nokma does not perform this ceremony , then it is believed that misfortune will fall on the Nokma and his family ( Miterim'a) . Various accessories are required for this ceremony such as, the Kram ( sacred drum), Rang or gong, Danil (shield made of animal-hide), Mil'am( Garo two-edged sword), a Kotip (turban) Pandrang (ceremonial dress), Surak ( another ceremonial dress covering the back) and the Jaksil or armlet. Incidently the jaksil is the emblem of the Nokma's high and strong position. It is the Nokam who bears the cost of feeding the whole community as a proof of his wealth and position. The priest chants the prayers after which he initiates the dance followed by the Nokma , his wife , family members and the privileged guests, one behind the other.This lasts for at least three days. In the early days, when the land was maiden soil rich and fertile, the produce of crops was more, and so economic conditions were good. However, with the passing of time, the practice of frequent jhumming rendered the soil less fertile, giving lesser yield and thereby rendering man, whose wealth depends so much on the land, at a disadvantage economically. As a result we find this ceremony fast disappearing . With the conversion into Christianity the fear of the " Mite rim'a" was dispelled.

Having studied the various festivals and ceremonies of the Garos, we cannot but appreciate the deep meaning behind each festival, which is steeped in religious beliefs. One is at the extent of reverence paid to the spirits of the ancestors. This however, is not an indication of the practice of ancestor worship itself, as there is no deification of the ancestors nor are there any accounts of sacrifices to them.