बिहू
Bihu
Bihu is the set of three Assamese seasonal festivals tied to farming, with Bohag Bihu in spring as the New Year, Kati Bihu in autumn and Magh Bihu in winter.
About
Bihu is the festival of Assam, in the northeast of India. It is really three festivals in one year, each linked to a stage of farming: the sowing season, the time of waiting for the crop, and the harvest. The three are Bohag Bihu (also called Rongali Bihu), Kati Bihu (also called Kongali Bihu) and Magh Bihu (also called Bhogali Bihu).
The Assam government's description is that Bohag Bihu marks the New Year at the start of seeding time, Kati Bihu marks the end of sowing and transplanting of the paddy, and Magh Bihu marks the end of the harvest. Their names carry the mood of each season: Rongali means joyful, Kongali means scarcity, and Bhogali means feasting.
Bohag Bihu is the best known. It falls on the first day of the Assamese month of Bohag (Baisakh), around April 14, when the Sun enters Mesha. Kati Bihu comes in the month of Kati (around the middle of October), and Magh Bihu in the month of Magh (mid January).
Significance and stories
Bihu is a farmers' festival with deep roots in the traditions of the many communities of Assam. Writers describe contributions from Tibeto-Burman and Tai cultures and from older local traditions. There is no single founding story.
Bohag Bihu celebrates spring and the new year, with songs, dance and visits to friends and elders. Kati Bihu is quiet and thoughtful. Granaries are low at this time, and people light lamps in the fields and under the tulsi plant to protect the crop. Magh Bihu is the time of the full barn, the community feast and the bonfire.
Cattle are essential for farming, so the first day of Bohag Bihu, Goru Bihu, is dedicated to them. It is kept on the last day of the previous month, Chot, according to many sources.
How to observe (puja vidhi)
- Goru Bihu. On the first day of Bohag Bihu, wash the cattle in the river or pond and rub them with turmeric and black gram paste. Feed them, and tie fresh ropes. Where there are no cattle, many families offer thanks at a cow shelter, or simply pause to honour them.
- Clean and decorate. Clean the house and the courtyard and put on new clothes.
- Manuh Bihu. On the next day, greet family and neighbours, and seek the blessing of elders. Offer a gamosa, a white cotton cloth with a red border and woven motifs, as a sign of respect.
- Prayers. Pray at the household prayer space or the namghar (the community prayer hall) and at local temples.
- Songs and dance. Sing Bihu songs and dance. In many villages, groups go from house to house singing blessings, a tradition called husori, and are welcomed with offerings.
- Kati Bihu. Light an earthen lamp in the paddy field, at the base of the tulsi plant, and at the granary. Pray for the safety and growth of the crop.
- Magh Bihu. On its eve (Uruka), cook and share a feast. Build a temporary hut (meji) and burn it at dawn, and bathe.
Practices differ among communities, so follow your family's custom.
Puja items (samagri)
- A gamosa for gifts and for the home
- Turmeric, black gram and fresh leaves for the cattle, where relevant
- Earthen lamps, mustard oil, wicks and incense for Kati Bihu
- Flowers, fruit and rice for offerings at the prayer space
- Traditional sweets and rice cakes
- Traditional instruments such as the dhol (drum), pepa (horn) and gogona (a small reed instrument)
Fasting and food
Bihu is a time of festive food rather than fasting. Bohag Bihu is associated with a custom of eating a mixture of seven kinds of greens (xaat saak) on one of the days. Tea, curd with flattened rice (jolpan) and sweets such as pitha and laru are served to visitors.
Magh Bihu brings a feast, with rice cakes, sesame and coconut sweets, and the community meal on Uruka night.
Anyone with a medical condition, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice about food and rest.
Regional customs
Bihu changes from district to district and community to community. The Bihu dance is performed to the rhythm of dhol, pepa and gogona. Magh Bihu brings traditional games such as egg fights and the pot-breaking game tekeli bhonga. Bohag Bihu lasts about seven days in many places, and the days have their own names, such as Goru Bihu for cattle and Manuh Bihu for people. Sources differ on the order of the days, so follow your local custom.
Bohag Bihu falls on the same day as Vishu, Puthandu, Baisakhi and Poila Boishakh. Magh Bihu is the Assamese form of the winter harvest festival that is Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Makar Sankranti elsewhere.
Celebrating in the USA
Assamese associations across the United States hold Bohag Bihu on a weekend in April or May, often in a community hall, with Bihu dance, songs and a festive meal. Magh Bihu is celebrated with a shared feast in January or February. Look for your local Assamese association.
At home, greet elders with a gamosa, make pitha and larus, and call family. Open fires and burning a meji are not possible in most places, so celebrate Uruka with a shared meal indoors and a few lamps. Kati Bihu can be marked with a lamp near a tulsi plant.
Do
- Honour elders by offering them a gamosa and asking for their blessings.
- Dress in traditional clothes, such as the mekhela chador and dhoti-kurta, if you have them.
- Learn a Bihu song or step with your children.
- Share food and sweets with neighbours and guests.
- Show thanks to farmers and animals.
- Light a lamp for Kati Bihu, even a small one indoors.
- Respect the different communities who celebrate Bihu in their own ways.
Don't
- Do not treat Bihu as only a stage performance.
- Do not light open fires where they are unsafe or not allowed.
- Do not forget Kati Bihu, which is quiet and often overlooked.
- Do not waste food at the feast.
- Do not assume that every community does it the same way.
Related
Customs differ between families, regions and traditions. This page describes common practice; follow your family’s tradition and your priest’s guidance.