A festival is an occasion celebrated by gathering a group of people with their cultures and religious traditions. A festival consists of events such as dancing, music, poetry, seminars, movies, etc., it is an occasion that leads to happiness, fun, and joy. It can be religious or national.
Assam is a place of various cultures and different traditions of people. Every region has its festivals according to its beliefs and cultural traditions. Assam is called the “land of red rivers and blue hills” red refers to the Brahmaputra. This place offers so many festivals to watch out for and every festival has its uniqueness and importance. Most of the Assam festivals are associated with agriculture.
Here is a list of the Top 7 Famous Assam Festivals:
Now, we are going to take a look at some of the popular and important festivals of Assam.
1. Bihu Festival
Bihu is the most important and popular festival of Assam, it is not a single festival but it is a set of three popular festivals of Assam people that can be celebrated throughout the year with three different seasons. Rongali or Bohag Bihu is celebrated in April, Kongali or Kati Bihu is celebrated in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu is celebrated in January. These three festivals have three different occasions to celebrate. Mainly these are associated with agriculture.
The first festival is Rongali or Bohag Bihu which is celebrated in April and is the most important festival among the three. Rongali Bihu is also known as the national festival of Assam. Rongali is a spring festival and also the start of a new year for Assam and other regions of the Indian subcontinent. People celebrate Rongali Bihu by dancing, singing, and by wearing flower garlands which is a tradition of rural people. Bohag Bihu celebrates as a sowing festival.
Kongali or Kati Bihu comes next to Rongali Bihu, during the Kati Bihu festival they protect the crops and worship them which is a traditional and cultural way of performing agriculture. The last Bhogali or Magh Bihu festival celebrates in Magh (January) month of Assam. Bhogali is a harvest festival. After harvesting the people of the region lit a Meji for the conclusion of the year and prayer to the god of fire.
Tiwas tribe named Bihu as Bisu. Bihu is not only a festival but also a dance form of Assam. It is a folk dance performed in groups by young women and men with quick hand movements and their traditional costumes of red theme colorful to watch.
2. Majuli Festival
Majuli festival is celebrated by the Majuli people of Majuli Island which is the biggest river island in the world. Bank of the Luit river is the place for celebrations. It is celebrated every year from November 21st to 24th of November.
This festival organized several cultural programs participated by different people from various regions of Assam. A long time ago Majuli was also known as the cultural capital of Assam. It has so many cultures and traditions. They exhibit their talents and traditions through their performances which are eye feast to watch and enjoy various cultures of their tribes. Every tribe has its unique way of representing its culture which is a treat to watch. All these programs take place in groups surrounded by many other groups.
Majuli is not only about their traditions and cultures but also their flora and fauna. Along with these a food festival also takes place where various people of different tribes bought their cooked food to taste other tribes. Some important debates and seminars are conducted to solve or discuss their issues.
3. Baishagu Festival
Baishagu is also called “Bwisagu” which originated from the word “Bwisa” which means year and “Agu” which means starting. Bwisagu is the new year for Bodos of Assam. It is a popular festival celebrated in the first month of the Boros calendar year in mid-April. Bwisagu is celebrated by southeast Asians as a new year.
On this occasion, the people of Assam worship their ancestors, worship the deities, exchange their love and affection, worship their god for good agricultural practices, and to better their lives with happiness and have a good life ahead. Before starting Bwisagu the Bodos people give farewell to the old year.
This festival is not only for the people of Bodos but also for their fauna. They feed their cattle paddy and massage their horns and hooves with mustard oil after they lead them to the river for a bath and they also clean their cowsheds and remove their dung. After the bath cattle are decorated with garlands and beat with the ‘Dighalati’ plant slightly. It is a festival celebrated to start a new year full of happiness and growth in their lives.
4. Ambubachi Festival
It is a mela celebrated by Assamese in the monsoon season which comes in the middle of June and Assamese month Ahaar. This mela is celebrated once a year at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. This celebration is due to the menstruation period of the goddess of Kamakhya. There is no particular idol of the goddess but people worship to yoni-like stone.
This mela is also known as the Tantric festival because it is associated with Tantric Shakti, even tantric babas attend the mela throughout the year only on these four days they appear, in the remaining time they are in seclusion. During this mela, they showcase their powers by standing on one leg for a massive time and in a headstand position which is also named ‘Sirsasana’ in yoga. Read More: Ambubachi Festival 2023 Date and Importance
Temple remains closed for three days because they believe their mother goddess isn’t in a pure form due to the menstruation period and they also follow some restrictions such as not worshiping, no cooking, and after three days on the fourth day Kamakhya Devi bathed and also decorate her to gain her purity again. To enjoy and experience this holy mela visitors come from all over India and people like Aghoras, Sanyasis, and Babas also attend Guwahati for this great mela.
Also Read:
- 20 Best Places to Visit in Assam
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- Top 10 Popular Temples in Assam
5. Tea Festival
To celebrate the greatness of tea, the people of Assam organized a tea fair and festival during November month in the Jorhat district of Assam. This festival is a combination of tea, music, and dance. It offers tourism around places like Majuli Island and its surroundings.
It also offers trips to tourists to the tea gardens, rivers, and the game of golf. They organize food stalls for the people who visited, by the food stalls visitors can taste different dishes of those tribal regions. Seminars are conducted to discuss the issues of the region and its development.
6. Dehing Patkai Festival
Dehing Patkai festival is celebrated at Lekhapani in the Tinsukia district of Assam. It has named after the Dehing river and Patkai range. This festival is organized by the Assam government for the tourists who visited to enjoy the enormous Dehing festival.
It is a good festival for the visitors where they can enjoy visiting tea gardens. The people who are familiar with sports also enjoy playing golf and participating in adventure sports.
It was first started in 2002 at the hands of former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as chief guest. This trip also offers a trip to the second world war cemeteries.
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