18Oct,2023
Credit: Credit Name
Kati Bihu, an annual festival marking the beginning of the new harvest season, is being celebrated on October 18 this year.
It falls on the first day of the Kati month in the Assamese calendar, usually in mid-October.
The festival, observed across Assam, symbolises the transplanting of rice crops. Homes are adorned with lit lamps, and bamboo pathways are made to honour the ancestors.
The tulsi plant is purified and placed on a platform called Tulsi Bheti during Kati Bihu. The festival includes making offerings and praying for the welfare of families and a bountiful harvest.
A special lamp called 'Akash Banti' or Sky Candle is lit in paddy fields.
These mustard oil lamps are placed on bamboo poles and are thought to guide ancestors in the afterlife.
It reflects Assam's cultural heritage, rooted in agriculture and spirituality, reminding people of their connection to the land and their duty to protect and nurture it.
The lighting of lamps, symbolic of hope and guidance, highlights life and traditions continuity. The term Kongali Bihu comes from the period's typically empty granaries and scarce consumption.