The popular Rongali Bihu celebration have already soaked the greater Assamese community across the globe. Many enthusiasts are getting ready for the Assamese New Year revelry with hussori rehearsals for stage performances. Here are the six reasons why Bihu is so much fascinating for all of us.
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1. Celebration of Life and Culture
Rongali Bihu is all about life and culture of the Assamese community. Merry-making by feasting, dancing, wearing new clothes, visiting friends and relatives, get-togethers, offering of gifts to near and dear ones are the basic activities of Rongali Bihu. Women are dressed in festive clothes woven out of muga or dressed in mekhela chadar and men are dressed in dhotis with gamochas tied round their heads.
2. Yummy Traditional Foods
We got a chance to taste traditional Assamese food like the til pitha, til ladu, chira, akhoi, muri, doi, pitha, gur, hando guri, narikol pitha, narikol ladu, otenga, posola, amroli, pani tenga, kumol chaol, bora chaol, bet gos, poka mithoi, etc. Rural vendors are also doing brisk business on the roadsides, selling these foodstuffs to the people.
3. Goru Bihu and the Start of Festival
Goru Bihu on April 14 when cattle will be bathed and offered vegetables, home-made sweets and pithas. The cattle will also be smeared with mustard oil and haldi in mostly rural areas. Traditional food items like chira, akhoi, doi, ladu, etc., will be taken as jalpan (breakfast) on the first day. Several Assamese families take poita bhath (cooked rice soaked in water overnight) with as many as 101 types of vegetables on the Goru Bihu day, according to Renu Phukan.
4. Assamese New Year Celebration
April 15, is the Assamese New Year which is dedicated to people. The New Year is the onset of the Bohag month for the Assamese community.
5. Husori
Hussori, which is an integral part of the festival, is a house-to-house dance performed by groups of Bihu revellers with dhols, flutes, pepas, etc. Hussori is performed throughout the Bohag month. Women dancers are expected to wear ornaments like gam kharu, thuria, maduli, kerumoni, etc.
6. Bihu Celebration With Staged Bihu functions
The local media fraternity also organises hussoris in the houses of local media persons. Besides staged Bihu functions, fairs and expos, where traditional handlooms and crafts get exhibited and sold, have also become part of the Bihu festival. We can also spot our favourate stars like Zubeen, Papon and others on various shows for free.
