Bihu
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Bihu is the most important (non-religious) festival of the Assamese culture and of the state of Assam in North-East India. (The Assamese word Bihu is also used to imply Bihu dance and Bihu folk songs.) The three major Bihus celebrations have agragrian origins though in recent decades they have taken definite urban features and have become popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus.
The three different Bihus are celebrated at three different times of the year.
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[edit] Rongali Bihu
The most popular one is the RONGALI BIHU or the Bohag Bihu which refers to the onset of the Assamese New Year (around April 15) and the coming of Spring. It's a time of merriment and feasting and continues for several days. The farmers prepare the fields for cultivation of paddy and there is a feeling of joy around. The ladies make pithas and larus (traditional food made of rice and coconut) which gives the real essence of the season. The first day of the bihu is called goru bihu or cow bihu, where the cows are washed and worshipped, which falls on the last day of the previous year, usually on April 14. This is followed by manuh (human) bihu on April 15, the New Year Day. The folk songs associated with the Bohag Bihu are called Bihugeets or Bihu songs.
The form of celebration varies.
Mukoli Bihu: Young unmarried men and women attired in traditional golden silk muga dance the bihu and sing bihu songs in the open fields. The songs have themes of romance and sexual love, requited or unrequited. Sometimes the songs describe tragic events too, but treated very lightly. The dance celebrates female sexuality.
Husori: Village elders move from household to households singing caroles, also in the style of bihu geets, called husuris. They are traditionally welcomed into the courtyard and thanked after the singing with an offering of tamul in a xorai, whereupon the singers bless the household for the coming year. Generally the singers are all male [1].
Jeng Bihu: This is Bihu dance and song performed and watched only by women. The name "jeng" comes from the fact that in earlier days women in the villages used to surround the place of their performance with sticks dug into the ground called jeng in Assamese.
Stage Bihu: In recent years, bihu dancing on stage has become popular in urban areas, where mukoli bihu or husori is not appropriate. Makeshift stages are erected in open parks by local youth or cultural organizations and dance troupes are invited to perform. The performances are not confined to the bihu dance form, but may incorporate all forms of theatrical performances to keep the audience enthralled well into the early hours. Performances could include standup comedy, to concerts by solo singers. The stage form of bihu has become so popular, that organizers have begun extending the celebrations to bohagi bidai, or farewell to the Bohag month, which are similar performances held a month later.
Rongali Bihu is also a fertility festival, where the bihu dance with its sensous movements using the hips, arms, etc, by the young women call out to celebrate their fertility. In this aspect, the bihu dance can also be called a mating ritual by the young men and women.
[edit] Kongali Bihu
KAATI BIHU or Kongali Bihu (mid-October) has a different flavour as there is less merriment and the atmosphere has a sense of constrain and solemnity. During this time of the year, the paddy in the fields are in the growing stage and the granaries of the farmers are almost empty. Thus it can be also referred as the empty (kongaali) bihu. The people fast during the day and in the evening offer prayers to the tulaxi plant and also in the paddy fields by lighting a saki (earthen lamp), with the hope that there is a good harvest and also to ward off any evil eyes, this also helps to control the insects. There is also exchange of sweets and greetings at this time.
[edit] Bhogali Bihu
MAGH BIHU or Bhogali Bihu (mid-January) marks the end of harvesting season and there is a lot of feasting and eating during this period. The granaries are full and thus the people come together and make a small hut type structures called mejis with the hay of the harvest fields and during the night, prepare food and there is community feasting everywhere. The entire night (called uruka) is spent around a bonfire with people singing bihu songs, beating drums or playing games. The next morning, people gather around the mejis and throw pithas (rice cakes) and betel nuts to it while burning it at the same time. They offer their prayers to the fire god and mark the end of the harvesting year.
[edit] Urban Bihu
The rural festival made its transition to urban life when Radha Govinda Baruah organized the first Bihu festival in Lataxil field in Guwahati about six decades ago. Unlike the rural version, the dancers danced on a makeshift elevated stage in an open area that came to be known as a Bihutoli. Many such Bihutolis have sprouted since then in Guwahati and other urban areas. The traditional snacks, pitha, that each household made are now available in the market, and Bihu songs sell briskly in cassette and CD's during the Bihu season. The commercialization of Bihu is continuing.
