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Magh Bihu is one of the most important community festivals in Assam. It is the harvest festival celebrated by the Assamese people in the local month of Magh during mid-January. Magh Bihu is also called as Bhogali Bihu as it is celebrated with community feasts after the annual harvest.
The highlight of this festival is the food due to the abundance of grains after the harvest. The night before Magh Bihu is called Uruka, it is the night of feasts. Villagers make a bamboo huts called Bhelaghor, or community kitchen and begin the preparations. Various dishes, vegetables, meat items and sweets such as Pitha, Laru are made out of sesame, molasses and coconut are prepared. The next morning, the community gathers to light the Meji, a large bon fire and pray for a better harvest in the year ahead. Offerings are made to the sacred fire and people later indulge in traditional Jolpan breakfast. Indigenous games such as Dhop Khel, Pot breaking, Egg fights and Buffalo fighting can be also a part of the celebrations. Community fishing by the tribes in the large wetlands can be also seen. The Bhelaghor huts are burnt at the end of the festival.
On the occasion of Magh Bihu, people start their day early and clean their houses and wear new clothes. They throw away useless stuffs in the fire made from cow dung cakes signifying a new beginning. The main reason behind creating this bonfire is to make the overall atmosphere warm as the weather tends to remain pretty cold during the last winter month. On the occasion of Magh Bihu, a lot of people worship Lord Indra, who according to the Hindu mythology is “God of rains and clouds”. People worship him for good rains in the following months, so that they can enjoy a good harvest.
According to another tradition, young men of the villages make temporary huts from clay straw and firewood known as Mejis. Around the Mejis, a temporary makeshift accommodation is prepared known as “belagar”. The families stay in the “belaghar” and stay up all night guarding the Mejis. Community feast and cultural programmes are observed all throughout the night. In the morning, people move out of their “belaghars” and take a bath in the river and burn their Mejis. Once the Mejis are burnt down, burnt pieces of wood are collected and thrown into field, which is believed to provide better harvest.
Assam is a land of fairs and festivals. Most of the festivals celebrated in Assam have their roots in the diverse faith and belief of her inhabitants, but a spirit of accommodation and togetherness characterizes the celebration of all festivals. The perfect fusion of heritage of her numerous races has made Assam the home of the most colorful festivals which are passionate, compelling and mesmerizing reflecting the true spirit, tradition and lifestlye of the people of Assam.
