Assam Prepares To Celebrate Bhogali Bihu, Fish Markets Crowded With Shoppers

GUWAHATI: According to sources, Assam is ready to celebrate Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu with "uruka" preparations on Saturday, January 14, as marketplaces are crowded with various kinds of fish.

It's that time of year when people prepare to celebrate many festivals, including Lohri (in North India), Makar Sankranti (in North, West, and Central portions of India), Pongal (in Southern parts of India), and Magh Bihu in Assam.

Even though the aforementioned holidays all share the same historical significance, each community marks its unique identity through its celebrations.

Midway through the local month of "Magh," which is January, is when Magh Bihu takes place. Due to the communal feasts held in celebration of it after the annual harvest, it is also known as "Bhogali Bihu."

This year, the festival will be observed widely throughout the state for the first time since the start of the covid epidemic in 2020.

The best part of this festival is the cuisine, which is prepared using the many grains that were harvested. According to the year, the night before "Bhogali Bihu"—which falls on January 13 or 14—is referred to as "Uruka," which means the night of feasts. The community kitchens, or "Bhelaghor," which the villages erect, are where they start the celebration preparations.

A number of sweets and savoury meals, including Pitha and Laru, are prepared using sesame, molasses (a dark syrup obtained from sugarcane), and coconut to honour the well-known holiday.

Men build bhelaghars and mejis (bonfires) constructed of thatch, bamboo, leaves, and leaves to inaugurate the largest post-harvest festivity.

With the Bihu celebration, the harvesting season comes to a conclusion. In Assam, festivities last for a full week. The celebrations include singing, dancing, feasts, and bonfires. The next morning, people burn the huts in accordance with the festival customs after eating the food that was prepared for the feast in the bhelaghar.

Pithas (rice cakes), laru (rice powder), sesame, molasses (black sugarcane syrup), puffed rice, flattened rice, and coconut are all prepared by women. People from all ages and backgrounds attend the holiday, and feasts are staged in open paddy fields. Traditional enjoyable games are played, celebratory songs are sung, and folk instruments are played.

People gather bits of partially burned firewood to throw among the other fruit trees for the upcoming abundant harvest as they pray to the God of Fire during the festival.

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