significance of Bihu


Assam is a fertile land surrounded by Blue Mountains and replenished by the mighty Brahmaputra River. The occupation of the people here is agriculture and the entire society is agrarian in nature. Bihu is basically a celebration of the change of the seasons. Each of the three Bihu celebrations marks an important phase in the farming calendar of Assam.

 Bihu – How Did The Name of the Festival Come Up?
The word Bihu is originally derived from the word known as “Bishu’, which means that people ask for prosperity from the Gods during important junctures of the harvesting season. Later on, the name somehow got distorted and the festival came to be known as Bihu. According to another source, it is commonly believed that the festival received its name from two different words, namely “bi” which means to ask and “hu” which means to give. Both these words combined to form the name Bihu.

What Bihu Stands For?
The festival of Bihu gives a unique identity to the Assamese people and makes them standout in the history of the nation. Bihu besides being a primary identity of Assam is also a harvest festival. It is celebrated thrice during important junctures of the agrarian calendar.
The first Bihu which is known as the Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu is celebrated for a period of seven days. It celebrates the onset of spring and farmers on this occasion prepare the field for cultivation. There is a general air of feasting and festivity all around in the atmosphere of Assam.
The next Bihu is known as Kati Bihu and this is more of as subdued occasion. This Bihu is primarily celebrated to seek blessings from the Gods, so that no harm is done to the crops while they are getting ready for harvest.
The last Bihu is known as Magh Bihu. Magh Bihu marks the end of the harvest season. During Magh Bihu, the primary emphasis is on feasting and celebrating, as the granaries are full and farmers are no longer required to worry about their crops. Celebration of Magh Bihu involves a lot of food and entertainment and is celebrated with much enthusiasm in all Assamese families located in different parts of the World.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Instruments used in Bihu

Image
Any traditional folk song and dance performance is never complete without music. Every part of India has their own lineage of traditional music and song, however when it comes to North Eastern part of India, not only are the music and art forms different , but also the very instruments used for creating the music is also very unique and beautiful. Let us now have a look at the various instruments used in the Bihu dance.    Dhol- Dhol is a traditional instrument that was commonly used by the Vaishnav’s in their religious ceremonies. However, the dhol is regarded as the most integral part of the Bihu celebrations. It is a two sided instrument that is played either with hands or bamboo sticks. The dhol traditionally is a wooden barrel with both the open ends covered with animal skin. The pitch of the dhol depends on how tightly the skin is fastened on both the end of the instrument. This instrument is used for maintaining the rhythm of the festival. Khol-  Khol is also a perc
Read more

Bihu Dance

Image
The festival of Bihu is never complete without the traditional Bihu Dance. This root of this form of colourful and vibrant dance is still unknown. The earliest possible documented history of Bihu dance dates back to the time of Ahom King Rudra Singha who invited a group of Bihu performers to perform the dance in the year 1694 at Ranghar fields on the occasion of Rangoli Bihu. The occasion is celebrated during the month of mid-April, which also marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year. The Bihu dance is quite an energetic form of dance that involves rapid hand and feet movement. The dance emphasises more of the role of the women and the female members maintain a tighter line of movement in comparison to the men folks. Typically in a Bihu dance the men folk enter the stage followed by the female performers. The dance moves are choreographed keeping in mind the roles of both of both the genders. A Bihu dance performance is never completed without music and the drummers play
Read more

Bihu Songs

Image
Bihu, the most reverted festival of Assam State is celebrated with a lot of gaiety and show. The festival celebrates the harvest season mainly.  Bihu geet  forms an integral part of the festival, which is close to the heart of all Assamese. Here i present a list of melodious  Bihu festival songs  which are sung along with pleasant sound of Indian musical instruments. Wind full of celebration is incomplete without these  Bihu songs  sung to express happiness during festivities enjoyed to celebrate the harvest season. The  Bihu song lyrics  adorn the lips of all who enjoy the music along with Husori in the village along with singing and dancing to the traditional music of toka, gagan, dhol and pepa like instruments.    Some popular Bihu geet (Bihu songs) are listed here with lyrics.   Bihu Festival Song Lyrics Song 1: Phool phulise Boxontor –  Bihu Song Lyrics Phool phulise Boxontor  tumi jaanmoni bohaagor..                                                      pratitu bohago
Read more