Assam: Magh Bihu celebrations rising festivity quotient as fish markets flooded with people

It is that time of the year when people not only in Assam but in other parts of the country, gearing up to celebrate ‘Lohri’ (in North India), Makar Sankranti (In North, West, and Central parts of India), Pongal (in Southern part of India) and Magh Bihu in Assam.

While each of the above-mentioned festivals holds the same significance and historicity, the celebrations mark its exclusive identity for each of the communities. 

Likewise, Assam is all prepped up to celebrate Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu with ‘uruka’ preparations on Saturday, January 14, as markets flooded with various types of fish.

Magh Bihu occurs in the local month of 'Magh' in the middle of January. It is also known as 'Bhogali Bihu,' because it is celebrated with community feasts following the annual harvest.

For the first time since the covid pandemic began in 2020, the festival will be celebrated on a large scale across the state this year.

The food, which is made from the abundance of grains after the harvest, is the highlight of this festival. The night before 'Bhogali Bihu,' which falls on January 13 or 14 depending on the year, is known as 'Uruka,' which means the night of feasts. The villagers build bamboo huts called 'Bhelaghor,' or community kitchens, where they begin the festival preparations.
To commemorate the famous festival, various dishes made of vegetables, meat, and sweets such as Pitha and Laru are made out of sesame, molasses (black syrup from sugarcane), and coconut.

Men start the biggest post-harvest festival by erecting mejis (bonfires) and bhelaghars out of bamboo, leaves, and thatch.

The harvesting season comes to an end with the Bihu festival. It is celebrated in Assam with week-long feasts. Singing, dancing, feasts, and bonfires are all part of the festivities. People eat the food prepared for the feast in the bhelaghar and then burn the huts the next morning, according to the festive rituals.
Women prepare pithas (rice cakes), laru (made from rice powder), sesame, molasses (black syrup from sugarcane), puffed rice, flattened rice, and coconut. Feasts are held in open paddy fields, and people of all ages and walks of life attend the festival. Folk instruments are played, special festive songs are sung, and traditional fun games are played.

To commemorate the festival, people offer prayers to the God of Fire and pick up pieces of half-burned firewood to throw among the other fruit trees for the next bountiful harvest.
Harvest festivals such as Lohri, Bihu, and Pongal are celebrated in various parts of India, from surviving the cold winters to transitioning into the livelier season of spring. From eating special foods to dancing and singing all night, the festival not only marks the start of an auspicious year but also brings the family together.
 

Also read : Assam : CM Himanta Biswa Sarma greets people on Bhogali Bihu