Showing posts with label Bihu Dance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bihu Dance. Show all posts

Friday 23 March 2018

Magh Bihu and The Bihu Dance:The Festival of Assam.

Festivals bring respite into our busy and daily hustle bustle of life.Festivals revitalize a new light and hopes in us. Bihu is set of festivals, the most important festival of Assam. Bihu is  three different cultural festivals that are celebrated in different times of the year.People of Assam commemorating the change of season in accord with the Assamese calendar. Assam, one of the most beautiful states of India, known for its tea gardens, lush green forests and the mighty Brahmaputra River. The warmth and friendliness of Bihu is what makes it one of the most loved and enjoyed festivals in India.


The origin of the word ‘Bihu" is said to be from the Sanskrit word ‘Vishu’. However, according to some, “Bi” means “to ask” and “Hu” means “to give”. 

                                                                         Brahmaputra River in Assam.

Bihu
 is celebrated not once, but thrice in a year in Assam? The three types of Bihu in a year are: Rongaali Bihu or ‘Bohaag Bihu’, Kati Bihu or Kongaali Bihu and the last but not the least Magh Bihu or Bhogaali Bihu’.


Bohag Bihu is also known as Rongali Bihu.
It is the first Bihu, which marks the beginning of Assamese new year in April and is celebrated with grandeur to welcome the spring.This festival coincides with other Indian Festivals, namely, Baisakhi, Sankranti and Chait.

Bihu Dance
It is celebrated for a week and the whole environment is filled with happiness and merriment. Laddos and varieties of Pithas are made on this occasion and Jolapn is the main delicacy which people eat on this festival. 

The first day is called “Goru Bihu” and on this day, the cattle are taken to the river or pond to clean them and offer prayer. This day is celebrated on the last day of the month.
Bihu Dance
And the next day, which is known as “Manuh Bihu” and on this day people wear new clothes and celebrate this festival with vigor and enthusiasm. During Bohag Bihu, Bihu Dance, the famous folk dance of Assam is performed on Bihu geet. 



Kongali Bihu or Kati Bihu .
This is the second Bihu and is most sober of all three Bihus. Kati Bihu is celebrated in mid-October, when the crops are growing but the farmers’ granaries are depleting.


To protect the maturing paddy, cultivators whirl a piece of bamboo and recite rowa-khowa chants and spells to ward off pests and the evil eye. During the evening, cattle are fed specially made rice items called pitha. 

It’s a time of solemn solidarity and hope for successful harvest. On this day, tulsi plant is planted on the fields to seek blessings for prosperity and protecting the paddy from being affected.On this day lamps, called saki, are lit on the tips of bamboo poles in the fields, as a guide to spirits. 

Lamps are also lit in the gardens, especially under tulsi plants, and in the granaries.Farmers also chant spells to ward off negativity and pests, praying for successful harvests. Cattle are fed especially prepared items known as pitha, made of rice.



It’s a time of solemn solidarity and hope for successful harvest. On this day, tulsi plant is planted on the fields to seek blessings for prosperity and protecting the paddy from being affected.
Magh Bihu also known as Bhogali Bihu
This is third Bihu, a harvesting festival celebrated in the month of Magh of the Hindu calendar and mid-January of the Georgian calendar.It is the period when the hard working agricultural folk of Assam sit down to reap the benefits of their labor. Everyone celebrates the festival with great fervor, right from the smallest of villages to the big towns and cities of Assam.

This festival is mainly a feasting festival because the granaries of people are filled with grains. This is basically the season of eating and merrymaking.
On the eve of this festival, which is called “Uruka” is celebrated with grandeur and people get together for feasting. People construct Meji and Bhelaghar, a makeshift cottage, inside which people feast. 

Next morning, people offer prayers to the Fire God and several sports are organized like cock-fight, buffalo-fight, Nightingale-fight and Egg-fight for the entertainment of people.


The Bihu dance is a folk dance from.
 This joyous dance is performed by both young men and women, and is characterized by brisk dance steps, rapid hand movement, and a rhythmic swaying of the hips in order to represent youthful passion. Dancers wear traditionally colorful Assamese clothing.


The Bihu dance is performed in conjunction with traditional Bihu folk music, played with: the "dhol", similar to a drum; the mohor singor pepa, a pipe instrument made from a buffalo horn; the tala, a cymbal; the gogona, a reed and bamboo instrument; and the toka, a bamboo clapper.


The songs (bihu geet) that accompany the dance have been handed down for many generations. The subject of the lyrics ranges from welcoming the Assamese new year to describing the daily life of a farmer.



However, the underlying goal of the dance remains the same: to express the desire to feel both pain and happiness.


 Music is a vital part of every folk dance and the same is the case with Bihu. There are many instruments that are utilized during a Bihu performance namely a dhol, pepa, Taal, toka, xutuli, gogona and baanhi. Not even one musical instrument can be ruled out of the list as they all play a pivotal role in producing the traditional tunes for the Bihu performance. A traditional Bihu performance is eye catching and worth cherishing as it recites the happiness and heritage of the Assamese people.



The energetic dance steps and quick hand movements define the Bihu dance of Assam. But that is not all as any folk dance is incomplete without its costume and jewelry and the performers of Bihu don the traditional Assamese attire. This dance is performed usually by the young males and females to show their joy and merriment on the arrival of spring season. A lot of vibrancy can be seen in the dance outfit of Bihu and that is what depicts the genuine spirit of this dance form.

Music is a vital part of every folk dance and the same is the case with Bihu. There are many instruments that are utilized during a Bihu performance namely a dhol, pepa, Taal, toka, xutuli, gogona and baanhi. Not even one musical instrument can be ruled out of the list as they all play a pivotal role in producing the traditional tunes for the Bihu performance. A traditional Bihu performance is eye catching and worth cherishing as it recites the happiness and heritage of the Assamese people.

Photos in this blog are taken from stock photos available on net and with thanks to photographer of these photos.

. I am sure after reading this write up, you will fall in love with Assam and people of Assam.