Bihu (Assamese: বিহু) denotes a set of three different cultural
festivals of Assam and celebrated by the
Assamese diaspora around the world. Though they owe their origins to ancient
rites and practices they have taken definite urban features and have become
popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus in the recent decades.
One includes the Assamese new year celebrated in April. Bihu is also
used to imply Bihu dance and Bihu folk songs. The
Rongali Bihu or the Bohag Bihu is an important festival of Assam. The most
important festivals of Assam are the Bihus, celebrated with fun in abundance by
all Assamese people irrespective of caste,
creed, and belief.
The
word Bihu is derived from the language of the Dimasa people who have been agrarian
since time immemorial. Their supreme god is Brai Shibrai or Father Shibrai. The
First crops of the season are offered to Brai Shibrai while wishing for peace
and prosperity. So Bi means "to ask" and Shu means "peace and
prosperity" in the world. Hence the word BISHU gradually became Bihu to
accommodate linguistic preferences. The other suggestion is that "Bi"
means "to ask" and "Hu" means "to give" and so
came BIHU. It was said by "Kalaguru" Bishnu Prasad Rabha. In
Assam, Rongali Bihu draws from many different traditions—
Austro-Asiatic, Sino-Burmese and Indo-Aryan—and is celebrated with great
fervor. Celebrations begin in the middle of April and generally continue for a
month. This is the traditional new year. In addition there are two other Bihus:
Kongali Bihu in October (associated with the September equinox) and Bhogali Bihu in January (associated
with the January solstice). Like most other Indian festivals, Bihu (all three)
is associated with farming; as the traditional Assamese society is
predominantly agricultural. In fact, similar festivals are also celebrated
around the same time elsewhere in India. Nowadays Bihu festivals are celebrate
by NRI Assamese on foreign counties also.
