The Unifying spirit of Assam - "BIHU"

Come the time for this cultural festival and everything is put on hold!

Not only celebrated in the state of Assam, but around the globe, this festival has the magical quality of exuberating a feeling of love, friendship and brotherhood amongst all. It transcends caste, religion, colour, hate, ill-feeling and instead, ushers in an atmosphere of peace and good-will!

To someone not from Assam, 'BIHU' is just one festival. But in fact it is three very distinct festivals spread through the calendar year. It is firmly rooted with the land and its people. The festival manifests mans' dependence on god and his blessings for the sustenance of life! No doubt the festivals are celebrated with a lot of fervour and gaiety, but there is an underlying current of obeisance to the supreme being!

Lets take a closer look at this festival called - 'BIHU' 

• Bhogali Bihu: - This is celebrated during mid January. Also called Magh Bihu, it is a harvest festival which marks the end of the harvest season. With granaries full of the harvested crop, it is a time for eating and feasting. The name 'Bhogali' comes from the word 'Bhog', which means to 'eat' and 'enjoy'. On the eve of the festival called Uruka, young men and boys build makeshift shelters from the hay of the harvested fields called 'Bhelaghar', preferably near a river or open field along with the all important 'Meji', which is a stack of fire-wood reaching to heights of ten to fifteen feet! The entire night is spent eating and singing Bihu songs around the 'Meji'. (If one were to wander around at night during this time in an Assamese village, the sights of the numerous dots of light and laughter would leave one spellbound!) The following morning, all those involved in the celebrations, take a bath and then worship the 'God of Fire' by burning the 'Meji'. Prayers are offered to mark the end of the harvest season. Throughout the day, various ethnic forms of entertainment are organised at the community level, like buffalo-fights, cock-fights, egg-fights, nightingale-fights etc. 

Of course to enjoy the full scale experience of 'Bhogali Bihu', one has to visit the villages of the Assamese people or else it would be just an artificial exposure to the so called 'cultural festivity' practised else where!

• Bohag Bihu: - Also called 'Rongali Bihu', this is celebrated during mid April, to welcome the Assamese 'New Year' as well as the onset of spring. It is the most popular of all the Bihus. The first day of the Bihu is called 'Goru Bihu' or "Cow Bihu', where the cows are properly washed and worshipped and new ropes are tied around their necks. The following day, the 15th of April is called 'Manuh Bihu' or 'Man Bihu'. This is the New Year day. People dress up in new clothes, visit friends and relatives, exchange a lot of love and warmth and ready themselves to take on the new year with fresh vigour and vitality. This is the most vibrant and enjoyable time of the year for the Assamese people. There is a lot of fun and frolic, especially among the young, where Bihu songs or 'Bihugeet' are sung by groups called 'Huxori dols'

One can feel the warmth of the Assamese people permeate through the air during the month long celebration of 'Rongali Bihu'.

• Kongali Bihu: - Celebrated during mid October, it is also called 'Kati Bihu'. The mood during this Bihu is very sombre. There is less merriment and the atmosphere has an air of constraint and solemnity. The granaries of the farmers almost running dry and the crop in the fields in the growing stages, the future being uncertain, the farmers invoke the blessing of the gods by lighting earthen lamps or 'sakis' on this day. These 'sakis' are placed at the foot of the household 'tulsi' plant, the granary, the household garden and in the paddy fields. The cultivators recite a special chant called 'rowa-khowa' , to ward off pests and other spells from their crops and in the evening, the cattle are fed specially made rice cakes called 'pithas' to appease the gods. The custom of tying a lamp at the end of a long bamboo pole, called 'akaxibonti', to show the souls of the dead the way to heaven, is practised even today, during 'Kongali Bihu'.

Whether it is the harvest festival, the spring time or during times of uncertain cultivation, Bihu is the unifying bond that holds the Assamese people together.