Bihu: The folk festival & dance of Assam
Often people get confused with Bihu being a dance form or a festival? Well it is both. Bihu is celebrated thrice across a year. The Assamese calender starts from the month of April, called 'Bohag' in Assamese. To mark the first of the year, we celebrate the first Bihu called Bohag or Rongali Bihu. It marks the harvest season which according to Assamese people is the new year.
Farming is a major occupation in Assam. Our calender is made on the basis of the harvest cycle. Bohag Bihu is a week long celebration, however the main two days are- Goru Bihu and Manuh Bihu. 'Goru' means 'cow' and 'Manuh' means 'humans'. On the Goru Bihu day, cows are taken to river side for bathing and people also play with them by throwing pieces of raw vegetables. Then after a proper bath, the cows are worshipped for their service during the farming. Despite all the technological developents, people in the villages still believe it is important to stay connected to Mother Earth. Hence, people still use natural methods like manual labour or ploughing with the help of cows. On the Manuh Bihu day, everyone is into dancing and eating. Usually, boys and girls go and perform Bihu in different houses within the same village or town to receive blessings.
Feasting is a very important part of Bihu. 'Pitha' is the most significant dish of the festival. Pithas are traditional Assamese sweets. These are of various types. But the most common of all is the 'naricol pitha' or coconut sweet. It has a grinded rice base rolled in with fried coconut stuffing with sugar in the middle. Other pithas are- Teel pitha, naricol laru (coconut laddoos), guror pitha (jaggery puffs) etc.
Bihu as a dance form brings together the people and celebrate the joy of harvest. Regardless of age, the dhol beat gets every being to tapping their feet and shaking their hips. The girls usually dress up in the traditional Assamese attire called 'Mekhla Chadar'. It is red and saffron in colour, made of silk (called muga in Assamese). Earlier traditionally, before the introduction of lipsticks, girls would chew betel leaves to redden their lips. Boys wear white dhoti, which is like a wrap around pant with silk shirts, saffron in colour. They tie around a red scarf across their hip and the 'traditional gamusa' around their heads. Gamuchas are traditional red and white scarfs that are even gifted as a mark of love and respect. Gamucha and Mekhla Chadar are hand-made apparels. Earlier women made these at their homes, but gradually with the commercialisation, weaving of gamusa and mekhla chadar has become a huge industry in Assam. One of the oldest, authentic and well known city for mekhla chadar is Sualkuchi. Other customs of Bihu are, it is usually believed that the harvest could be attacked by storms (called 'bordoisila' in Assamese), so people wrote slogans on mango leaves and hung them around the house and farms to avoid storms. Today,Bihu as a dance form has gained popularity even in global platform now.
The second Bihu is the 'Kati Bihu' or 'Kongali Bihu' which is celebrated on the first day of Kati month in Assamese calender. It is usually before the arrival of winter, nearby Diwali. In this Bihu, people worship the tulsi plant to avoid famine as the farmers eagerly wait for their harvest and many cultivators have empty granaries. The word Konagli, therefore, signifies kongal meaning poor. People light lamps ('saaki' in Assamese) under tulsi plants, in the entrances of their houses and in farmlands. It is only one evening occasion.
The third Bihu is in January, called 'Bhogali Bihu' or 'Magh Bihu'. It is also a celebration of two days in the month of Maagha in Assamese calender. The first day is alled the 'Bhooj' or 'feast'. It happens at night where families and friends gather to cook and feast together. It usually takes place in the open like in the farmlands. Various dishes are prepared like duck, pork, chicken, mutton, fish etc. The next day is called the 'Meji'. On the 'Meji' day, people need to wake up early before sunrise, take bath and pray to the lord of fire. The first one to pray burns a tall stand of wood (this stand is called the meji). Then, people eat prasad which comprises of mung (black gram), apple, banana, suagrcane, coconut, cucumber. Then, they have pithas and jalpan. Jalpan is a traditional meal that comprises of soaked flattened rice, curd, jaggery and banana. In this bihu, people worship the fire to protect the crops from pests. People dance even during this Bihu.
Assam has a diverse population. People from different states and even Bangladesh have settled in Assam. Regardless of their differences in religion and background, everyone enjoys and celebrates Bihu as their own.