NOTE: THE CEREMONY OF THE HORSE AT RICE-HARVEST AMONG THE GAROS.
(M250) Among the Garos, an agricultural tribe of Assam, the close of the rice-harvest is celebrated by a festival in which the effigy of a horse figures prominently. The intention of the ceremony is not stated, but possibly it may be to ensure a good rice crop in the following year. If so, the artificial horse of the Garos would be analogous to the October horse of the Romans, as that animal has been explained by W. Mannhardt. For the sake of comparison it may be well to subjoin Major A. Playfair's account of the Garo ceremony:--(976)
(M251) "When the rice harvest has been fully gathered in, the great sacrifice and festival of the year, the _Wangala_ or _Guréwata_, takes place. This is the most festive observance of the year, and combines religious sacrifice with much conviviality. It is celebrated by all sections of the tribe except the Duals and some Plains Garos. The cost of the entertainment falls principally on the _nokma_ [headman] of the village, who provides a pig to be eaten by his guests, and plenty of liquor. Among the Akawés and Chisaks of the north and north-eastern hills a curious feature of the ceremony is the manufacture of _guré_ or 'horses' out of pieces of plantain-stem for the body, and of bamboo for the head and legs. The image of the 'horse' is laid on the floor of the _nokma's_ house, and the assembled guests dance and sing around it the whole night long, with the usual intervals for refreshments. Early the next morning, the 'horse' is taken to the nearest river and launched on the water to find its way down stream on the current. For those who possess the necessary paraphernalia, the _guré_ takes the shape of a horse's head of large size, made of straw, and covered with cloth. I once saw one in the village of Rongrong, which, when in use, was ornamented with discs of brass on both sides of the face. Its eyes and ears were made of the same metal, and between the ears were fixed a pair of wild goat's horns. To the head were attached a number of bronze bells similar to those hawked about by Bhutia pedlars. The owner, a _laskar_, was unable to tell me whence they came, but said that they were inherited from his wife's mother, and were many generations old.