Every individual of Assam shares a tremendous zeal to celebrate the Magh Bihu festival. This event, which marks festivity and feasting, symbolizes the completion of the harvesting period. The state’s diligent agricultural folk settle down to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. The Magh Bihu celebration is not only for the state’s agricultural areas. People love to celebrate this event with great enthusiasm across Assam, from the tiniest villages to the towns and cities. However, the style of celebration varies from place to place.
What happens on Magh Bihu?
The other name of Magh Bihu is Bhogali Bihu, the Food Festival. It will occur on 14th January. It’s the time of year when winter finishes its journey and welcomes spring. Uruka is the night before Magh Bihu Festival. It is a representation of a great deal of revelry and local feasts. Many religious persons opt to fast and spend this night in prayers. People get up early on Magh Bihu and light “mejis.” These are the small huts consisting of bamboo, wood, and hay. After the mejis are on fire, everyone gets down to eat traditional Assamese delicacies.
People may also see some bullfights and glimpses of bird battles occurring in the villages. As the day progresses, dance and music become more prevalent. People visit their friends’ and relatives’ houses to share greetings. Magh Bihu is a festival full of merriment and cheers.
Significance of Magh Bihu
You can call Bhogali Bihu a festival glorifying Assamese cuisine. Magh Bihu has something to do with harvesting. It arrives when everyone has plenty to eat and enjoy. All Assamese wait for their cherished holiday as a celebration that sustains the honor of their culture. Even though you will find the Bihu holiday in three distinct ways, the spirit that inspires the celebrations stays the same. This Assamese traditional festival emerges integrity and thankfulness. It shares a feeling of oneness and fraternity.
Magh Bihu is a rich festival of heritage and an expression of appreciation. A festival that pays reverence to the fire God and commemorates the abundant crop of the season. It’s time to take a break from the routine and appreciate this chance to show thanks for the many gifts that nature bestows on us every year. The spirit of the Bhogali endears it to the rest of the Assamese community. Agriculture is one of the most common employments in Assam. Mother Nature and the land are revered and worshipped by the people.
Irresistible Food Items
The women prepare the specialties to be served on the day of the Magh Bihu long in advance. It is also a time for them to gather as a group of ladies and experience a good range of feminine energy. The roar of the Denki envelops the area. The Denki is a wooden instrument for pounding and crushing rice. The technique of grinding rice to a precise fineness is a skill. Expertise, intensity, and measures are all required in this technique. The work is enormous, but with the ladies immersed in their banter, chatting, singing, and even dancing makes it quick.
All of the hard work pays off. On the day of the Magh Bihu, people gather to enjoy the benefits of their effort and hard work. Their chanting creates an atmosphere of merriment, feasting, and thankfulness to the God of fire for blessing their year’s crop. Girls celebrate by dancing the traditional Bihu dance. Boys gather to play drums and other cultural music instruments. Everyone dances to the folk songs musing every heart. Steps move together to celebrate the vibes of brotherhood and integrity.
