Assam will experience a festive silence as January 15th approaches. The perfume of freshly baked pithas permeates the air as smoke rises from blazing Meji fires.
This eating celebration is also called Bhogali Bihu. The state's hardworking farmers finally get to enjoy the fruits of their labor as the harvest season comes to a conclusion and granaries are filled.
Guwahati residents have their own contemporary customs, but Magh Bihu is deeply ingrained in the land. Temporary kiosks bring life to streets and bazaars, such as the busy Ganeshguri, starting in the first week of the New Year.
As they search for feast staples like hand-rolled til laru (sesame balls), narikol laru (coconut sweets), crunchy seera (flattened rice), akhoi (puffed rice), and bora saul (sticky rice), city dwellers are spoiled for choice.
This colorful purchasing habit is mostly found in cities. Bhogali takes place differently in rural Assam; necessities are created from the season's fresh produce and given among the community rather than being purchased.
However, the festivities actually start on Uruka, the night before Bihu. In the wide fields of communities, young men construct Bhelaghars, which are makeshift homes composed of bamboo, hay, and thatch.
Families and neighbors also congregate here for a communal feast. The menu, which celebrates local produce, usually includes a range of mutton curries, haah'r mangxo (duck meat cooked with ash gourd), and masor tenga, a famous sour fish curry.
To preserve the Uruka spirit in metropolitan locations with few open spaces, many apartment societies now host communal bonfires and cultural events.
On the main Bihu day, the meji jwaluwa ceremony is performed at first light. As a sacrifice to Agni, the God of Fire, towering bamboo and firewood constructions known as mejis are burned.
Pithas and betel nuts are offered to the fire in hopes of a successful coming year. After the ceremonies are finished, the day shifts to intense traditional games like egg fights and blindfolded pot-breaking competitions.
Beyond the food and fire, however, Magh Bihu is a time to rekindle relationships. During this season of blessings, communities come together regardless of age or status, and newlyweds seek the counsel of elders.
The festival continues to be the beating heart of Assamese identity, whether it is through a peaceful exchange of pithas in a village courtyard or an exuberant dance competition in a city colony.
