State
: Assam, in the north east of India.Time : January, April, October.
Venue : Assam in India.
The Festival
The Bihus are the national festivals of Assam. The most important festivals of Assam are the Bihus, celebrated with fun and abundance by all Assamese people irrespective of caste, creed, religion, faith and belief.
The Three Bihus of Assam
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 Rangali Bihu celebrated in the middle of April. This is also the beginning of the agricultural season. The Bohaag Bihu or the Rongali Bihu
The Bohaag Bihu marks the New Year at the advent of seeding time. Bohaag Bihu is also called the Rongaali Bihu or the Festival of Merriment.
The Magh Bihu or the Bhogali Bihu
The Magh or the Bhogali Bihu, the harvesting festival is celebrated in January by community feast, buffalo fight and such other entertainment. The Maagh Bihu marks the end of the harvesting period. Maagh Bihu is also called Bhogaali Bihu or the Festival of Food.
The Kati Bihu to the Kongaali Bihu
Compared to "Rongali" and Bhogali Bihu, "Kati Bihu" is a tame affair celebrated in the month of Kartika. the Kaati Bihu marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies. Kaati Bihu is also called Kongaali Bihu or the Festival of the Poor.
The Activities
The merriments include dances along with the enthralling beats of Dhol and Pepa (buffalo hornpipe). Songs sung during the Bihu festival are woven around themes of love and most of the time carry erotic overtones. People wear traditional attires like Dhoti, Gamocha and Chadar, Mekhala.
You can relish the Bihu dances, performed by young boys and girls featuring brisk stepping, flinging and flipping of hands and swaying of hips, representing youthful passion, reproductive urge and 'Joie-de-vivre'. Tribal groups like the Misings the Deoris and the Morans celebrate "Bihu" with dances of their own distinctive style. Journey to Assam
Airport : Guwahati is well connected by Air and railway to Delhi and Kolkata.
Railhead : Guwahati is well connected by railway to Delhi and Kolkata. Journey by train from Delhi may take anywhere from 24 –36 hrs covering a distance of nearly 2000 Km. Rajdhani Express is the best train between Delhi – Guwahati.
Road Transport : Guwahati or other parts of Assam are well connected to its neighbouirng states located in the north east of India.
Staying in Assam
Accommodation is not a problem in Assam, India. You will come across wide range of accommodation facilities in & around Assam. The accommodations are well knit and comfortably designed for the tourists from all over. Guwahati is the best location for you to make a night stay.
