Introduction
The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one,
developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under
various politico-economic systems in different periods of history.
The people of the enchanting state of Assam is an
intermixture of various racial stocks such as Mongoloid, Indo-Burmese,
Indo-Iranian and Aryan. The Assamese culture is a rich and exotic tapestry of
all these races evolved through a long assimilative process. The natives of the
state of Assam are known as "Asomiya" (Assamese), which is also the
state language of Assam.
The state has a large number of tribes, each unique in it’s
tradition, culture, dresse and exotic way of life. Diverse tribes like Bodo,
Kachari, Karbi, Miri, Mishimi, Rabha, etc co-exist in Assam, most tribes have
their own languages though Assamese is the principal language of the state.
A majority of the Assamese is the Vaishnavas (a sect of
Hinduism). The Vaishnavas do not believe in idol worshiping and perform
Namkirtana where the glory of Lord Vishnu is recited. The two important
cultural and religious institutions that influence the cultural fabric of
Assam: the Satras, the site of religious and cultural practice which have been
in existence for over 400 years and and the Naamghar, the house of prayers.
Villagers generally associate on the basis of membership of a local center of
devotional worship called "Naamghar". Villages are usually made up of
families from a number of distinct castes. In Assam, the caste system, although
it exists, is not as prominent as in other parts of India.
Other religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam etc. are also practiced in Assam. The national festival of Assam is the
Bihu which is celebrated in three parts during a year with great pomp and
grandeur by all Assamese, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims represent the largest minorities, followed
by Nepalis and populations from neighboring regions of India.
Symbolism
Symbolism is an important part of Assamese culture. Various
elements are being used to represent beliefs, feelings, pride, identity, etc.
Symbolism is an ancient cultural practice in Assam, which is still very
important for the people. Tamulpan, Xorai and Gamosa are three important
symbolic elements in Assamese culture.
Tamulpan (the areca nut and betel leaves) or guapan (gua
from kwa) are considered as the offers of devotion, respect and friendship. It
is an ancient tradition and is being followed since time-immemorial with roots
in the aboriginal Austro-Asiatic culture.
Xorai, a traditional symbol of Assam, is a manufactured
bell-metal object and an article of great respect and is used as a
container-medium while performing respectful offerings. It is an offering tray
with a stand at the bottom. There are xorais with or without a cover on the
top. Traditionally xorais were made of bell metal although nowadays they can be
made from brass and/or silver. Hajo and Sarthebari are the most important
centres of traditional bell-metal and brass crafts including xorais. Xorais are
used:
-as an offering tray for tamul-pan(betel nuts and betel
leaves) to guests as a sign of welcome and thanks.
-as an offering tray for food and other items placed in
front of the altar(naamghar)for blessing by the Lord.
-as a decorative symbol in traditional functions such as
during Bihu dances.
-as a gift to a person of honour during felicitations.
The Gamosa is an article of great significance for the
people of Assam. Literally translated, it means 'something to wipe the body
with' (Ga=body, mosa=to wipe); interpreting the word “gamosa” as the
body-wiping towel is misleading. It is generally a white rectangular piece of
cloth with primarily a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on the
fourth (in addition to red, other colors are also used). Though it is used
daily to wipe the body after a bath (an act of purification), the use is not
restricted to this. It is used by the farmer as a waistcloth (tongali) or a
loincloth (suriya); a Bihu dancer wraps it around the head with a fluffy knot.
It is hung around the neck at the prayer hall and was thrown over the shoulder
in the past to signify social status. Guests are welcomed with the offering of
a gamosa and tamul (betel nut) and elders are offered gamosas (bihuwaan) during
Bihu. It is used to cover the altar at the prayer hall or cover the scriptures.
An object of reverence is never placed on the bare ground, but always on a
gamosa. One can therefore, very well say, that the gamosa symbolizes the life
and culture of Assam.
The word gamosa is derived from the Kamrupi word gaamasa
(gaama+chadar), the cloth used to cover the Bhagavad Purana at the altar.
Significantly the gamosa is used equally by all irrespective
of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
At par with Gamosa, there are beautifully woven symbolic
clothes with attractive graphic designs being used by different cultural
sub-systems and ethno-cultural groups as well.
There were various other
traditional symbolic elements and designs in use, which are now found only in
literature, art, sculpture, architecture, etc or used for only religious
purposes (in particular occasions). The typical designs of assamese-lion,
dragon, flying-lion, etc were used for symbolising various purposes and
occasions.The three Bihu
Rongali Bihu (mid-April, also called Bohag Bihu), the most popular Bihu celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year (around April 15) and the coming of Spring. This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar and is also observed in Bengal, Manipur, 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 make pitha, 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.
Kopu phool (Rhynchostylis gigantea)
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 sensous 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.
Goru Bihu
The goru bihu or cattle worship rites are observed on the
last day of the year. The cattle are washed, smeared with ground turmeric and
other pastes, struck with sprigs of dighalati and makhiyati and endeared to be
healthy and productive (lao kha, bengena kha, bosore bosore barhi ja/maar xoru,
baper xoru, toi hobi bor bor goru-eat gourd, eat brinjal, grow from year to
year/your mother is small, your father is small, but you be a large one). The
old cattle ropes are cast away through the legs and new ropes are tied to them,
and they are allowed to roam anywhere they wished for the entire day.
Manuh Bihu
Husori
Village elders move from household to households singing
carols, also in the style of bihu geets, called husoris. It possibly derives
from the Dimasa Kachari word formation ha (land) and char (move over): hachari.
Villages could have more than one Husori band, and they would visit households
in a village non-contiguous to itself, first singing carols at the Naamghar.
The husari singers then visit individual households, by first announcing their
arrival at the gate (podulimukh) with drum beats. The singers are traditionally
welcomed into the courtyard where they sing the husori songs and perform a ring
dance. At the end of the performance they are thanked with an offering dakshina
of paan (betel leaf) tamul (areka nut) in a xorai (brass dish with stand),
whereupon the singers bless the household for the coming year. If there is a
bereavement in the family, or the family does not invite the husori singers due
to an illness, the husori band offers blessings from podulimukh and move on.
Generally the singers are all male.
Fat Bihu
This is a very old form of Bihu, characterized by
spontaneity, popular in the Lakhimpur area of Assam. According to legend, the
first Ahom king, Sukaphaa, traveled to the region to watch it in the early 13th
century.
Beshma
This is celebrated by koches , in this festival
'bhurbhura','shak' are marrimaking and festing.
Mukoli Bihu
Young unmarried men and women attired in traditional
golden silk muga dance the bihu and sing bihu songs in the open fields. The
songs have themes of romance and sexual love, requited or unrequited. Sometimes
the songs describe tragic events too, but treated very lightly. The dance
celebrates female sexuality.
Jeng Bihu
This is Bihu dance and song performed and watched only by
women. The name "jeng" comes from the fact that in earlier days women
in the villages used to surround the place of their performance with sticks dug
into the ground called jeng in Assamese. It is also called gos tolor bihu (Bihu
beneath tree).
Baisago
The Bodo-Kachari people celebrate for seven days-the
first day for cattle (Magou), the second day for man (Mansoi) and ancestor
worship, feasting, singing and merriment. Songs follow the same themes as the
Bihu songs.
Bihutoli Bihu
The rural festival made its transition to urban life when
it was first time brought to the stage in Lataxil field in Guwahati by the
Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani in 1962, promoted by leading citizens like Radha
Govinda Baruah and others. Bihu to a great extent has been popularized by the
Bihu 'Samrat'( king ), of Assam, Khagen Mahanta. Unlike the rural version, the
dancers danced on a makeshift elevated stage in an open area that came to be
known as a Bihutoli. Many such Bihutolis have sprouted since then in Guwahati
and other urban areas. The performances are not confined to the bihu dance
form, but may incorporate all forms of theatrical performances to keep the
audience enthralled well into the early hours. Performances could include
standup comedy, to concerts by solo singers. The stage form of bihu has become
so popular, that organizers have begun extending the celebrations to bohagi
bidai, or farewell to the Bohag month, which are similar performances held a
month later.
Xaat Bihu
Rongali Bihu also called Xaat Bihu (seven Bihus). It
celebrates seven days, it's called so. On the other hand, Rangali Bihu is
constitute of seven different types of Bihu - Chot Bihu, Raati Bihu, Manuh
Bihu, Kutum Bihu, Mela Bihu and Chera Bihu.
Kongali Bihu
Kongali Bihu (mid-October, also called Kati-Bihu) has a
different flavor as there is less merriment and the atmosphere has a sense of
constrain and solemnity. During this time of the year, the paddy in the fields
are in the growing stage and the granaries of the farmers are almost empty. On
this day, earthen lamps (saki) are lit at the foot of the household tulsi
plant, the granary, the garden (bari) and the paddy fields. 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. The Bodo people light
lamps at the foot of the siju (Euphorbia neriifolia) tree. This Bihu is also
associated with the lighting of akaxi gonga or akaxbonti, lamps at the tip of a
tall bamboo pole, to show the souls of the dead the way to heaven, a practice
that is common to many communities in India, as well as Asia and Europe.
Bhogali Bihu
Bhogali Bihu (mid-January, also called Magh Bihu) comes
from the word Bhog that is eating and enjoyment. It is a harvest festival and
marks the end of harvesting season. Since the granaries are full, there is a
lot of feasting and eating during this period. On the eve of the day called
uruka, i.e., the last day of pausa, menfolk, more particularly young men go to
the field, preferably near a river, build a makeshift cottage called Bhelaghar
with the hay of the harvest fields and the Meji, the most important thing for
the night. During the night, they prepare food and there is community feasting
everywhere.There is also exchange of sweets and greetings at this time. The
entire night (called Uruka) is spent around a Meji with people singing bihu
songs, beating Dhol, a typical kind of drums or playing games. Boys roam about
in the dark stealing firewood and vegetables for fun. The next morning they
take a bath and burn the main Meji. People gather around the Meji and throw
Pithas (rice cakes) and betel nuts to it while burning it at the same time.
They offer their prayers to the God of Fire and mark the end of the harvesting
year. Thereafter they come back home carrying pieces of half burnt firewood for
being thrown among fruit trees for favourable results. All the trees in the
compound are tied to bamboo strips or paddy stems. Different types of sports
like Buffalo-fight, Egg-fight, Cock-fight, Nightingale-fight etc. are held
throughout the day. There are other conventional festivals observed by various
ethnic-cultural groups. Me-dam-me-phi, Ali-aye-ligang, Porag, Garja, Hapsa
Hatarnai, Kherai are few among them.The koch celebrates this bihu as pushna[9].
All assamese people around the world celebrates this tradition on the month of
January as per English calender. The Uruka comes on 13 January & Bihu is on
14-15 January. On this occation every assamese people celebrates with joy.
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