0
0
When we talk of North East the name came to our mind first is Assam not just because it is the largest one but because of her rich cultural heritage.
At Mahajati Sadan an heritage auditorium of Kolkata on 7th of May 2016 Kolkata Assamese Cultural Association organized an event on Rongali Bihu. Chief Guest Soumitra Ray – Song writer, Composer & Singer of Bhoomi (Bangla Band),President of the association Atul Kumar Bharali, DGM of ONGC, Mr. Bharali of IOC Assam Oil Division and the famous Assamese Actress AAIME BARUAH; All were present at the occasion.
The evening started with Mr Soumitra Ray singing a song based on Assamese tune and the mood set on that very instance.
The whole evening every one just spent like a spellbound person. Even the Kids and the Artists may have socked in the environment in such a way that all of us are at Assam and enjoying Rongli Bihu.
Songs Dance and Recitation at her best and all done by the people of Assam. Houseful and that should be every time this kind of connect with your soil program happens.
Best of the professional & cultural minds of North East specially Assam was in the audience.
IBG NEWS team is proud to be the online partner of the Event.
About the culture of Bihu:
The three Bihu Festivals:
In a year there are three Bihu festivals in Assam – in the months of Bohaag (Baisakh, the middle of April), Maagh (the middle of January), and Kaati (Kartik, the middle of October). The Bihus have been celebrated in Assam since ancient times. Each Bihu coincides with a distinctive phase in the farming calendar.
The most important and colourful of the three Bihu festival is the Spring festival “Bohag Bihu” or Rongali Bihu celebrated in the middle of April. This is also the beginning of the agricultural season.
Bihu is celebrated in all parts of Assam and by people belonging to all castes and religions. Bihu is a secular festival which brings in humanity, peace and brotherhood among the people of various tribes, castes and religions of the region.
Bohag Bihu Or Rongali Bihu
Bohag Bihu (mid-April, also called Rongali Bihu), the most popular Bihu celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year (around April 14–15) and the coming of Spring. This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar and is also observed in Bengal , Manipur ,Mithila, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu though called by different names.
It’s a time of merriment and feasting and continues, in general, for seven days. The farmers prepare the fields for cultivation of paddy and there is a feeling of joy around. The women makepitha, larus (traditional food made of rice and coconut) and Jolpan which gives the real essence of the season.
The first day of the bihu is called goru bihu or cow bihu, where the cows are washed and worshipped, which falls on the last day of the previous year, usually on April 14. This is followed by manuh (human) bihu on April 15, the New Year Day.
This is the day of getting cleaned up, wearing new cloths and celebrating and getting ready for the new year with fresh vigor. The third day is Gosai (Gods) bihu; statues of Gods, worshiped in all households are cleaned and worshiped asking for a smooth new year.
The folk songs associated with the Bohag Bihu are called Bihugeets or Bihu songs. The form of celebration and rites vary among different demographic groups.
Rongali Bihu is also a fertility festival, where the bihu dance with its sensuous movements using the hips, arms, etc., by the young women call out to celebrate their fertility. In this aspect, the bihu dance can also be called a mating ritual by the young men and women.
