Last updated on January 8th, 2026 at 09:59 pm
Bihu: Assam’s Festival of Seasons, Harvest, and Renewal
When we speak of harvest festivals in India, Makar Sankranti often serves as the reference point—a moment when the sun begins its northward journey and communities across India pause to celebrate abundance.
In Assam, this same seasonal rhythm is expressed through Bihu, a festival that unfolds not once, but three times a year, marking key agricultural transitions.
Bihu is not just a celebration. It is Assam’s way of staying in step with nature—acknowledging sowing, scarcity, and harvest, all through ritual, food, music, and community life.
What Is Bihu?
Bihu refers to a group of three festivals observed in Assam, each aligned with a different phase of the agricultural cycle:
- Rongali (Bohag) Bihu – April
- Kongali (Kati) Bihu – October
- Magh (Bhogali) Bihu – January
Together, they form a complete calendar of rural life—beginning with hope, passing through restraint, and ending in celebration.
DID YOU KNOW?
The word Bihu is derived from the word Busu. Busu means excessive joy.
Rongali (Bohag) Bihu: New Beginnings and the Assamese New Year
Rongali Bihu, celebrated in April, marks the Assamese New Year and the beginning of the sowing season. It is the most widely known and vibrant of the three Bihus.
This is a time of renewal—Fields are prepared, seeds are sown, and homes are cleaned and refreshed. Cattle, essential to farming life, are ceremonially bathed and honored, acknowledging their role in sustaining livelihoods.
Music and dance take center stage during Rongali Bihu. The Bihu dance, performed by young men and women, reflects joy, courtship, and community bonding. The beats of the Dhol, the sharp notes of the Pepa (made from buffalo horn), and folk songs fill villages and towns alike.
Food plays an important role too. Rice-based snacks such as Pitha and Laru are prepared at home, using ingredients like rice flour, jaggery, sesame, and coconut—simple foods that reflect the agrarian roots of the festival.
The 7 Days of Rongali (Bohag) Bihu
- Goru Bihu
Dedicated to cattle. Cows are bathed and honored for their role in farming. - Manuh Bihu
A day for people—new clothes are worn, elders are respected, and blessings are exchanged. - Gosain (or Devta) Bihu
Prayers are offered to deities for a good year and successful crops. - Senehi Bihu
A day of affection, when gifts and traditional items are shared with loved ones. - Kutum Bihu
Focuses on relationships with extended family and relatives. - Mela Bihu
Celebrated through fairs, music, dance, and community gatherings. - Chera Bihu
Marks the conclusion of the Bihu celebrations.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. Unlike many classical Indian dances, Bihu is a folk dance, meant to be danced together by young men and women in open spaces rather than on formal stages. Bihu dance is traditionally accompanied by Bihu geet, folk songs sung in a call-and-response style.
2. The Pepa is a wind instrument made from buffalo horn and is unique to Assamese folk music.
Kongali (Kati) Bihu: Quiet Prayers in a Season of Scarcity
Observed in October, Kongali Bihu stands in contrast to the exuberance of Rongali Bihu. This is a period when crops are still growing, food supplies are limited, and farmers wait anxiously for the harvest.
There are no grand feasts or loud celebrations. Instead, the focus is on prayer, patience, and hope.
Kongali Bihu teaches an important lesson often missing in modern narratives of festivals: not every season is about abundance. Some are about endurance and faith.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. Families light small earthen lamps, Saki, in their homes and in paddy fields. These lamps are often placed near the tulsi plant or on bamboo structures in fields, symbolically asking for protection of the crops and well-being of the household.
2. Bihu music is traditionally played using four main instruments – Dhol (drum), Pepa (buffalo horn pipe), Gagana (jaw harp), and Taal (small cymbals).
Magh (Bhogali) Bihu: Harvest, Fire, and Feasting
Magh Bihu, celebrated in January, is the harvest festival of Assam and closely aligns in timing and spirit with Makar Sankranti.
Magh Bihu celebrations begin on Pooh, the last day of the month before, which usually falls on January 14th. The night before, January 13, is known as Uruka.
By this time, crops have been harvested, granaries are full, and communities come together to celebrate abundance. The night before Magh Bihu, people build Meji (bonfires) and Bhelaghar (temporary huts made of bamboo and straw). These structures become the heart of community gatherings.
Bonfires are lit at dawn, offerings are made, and prayers are said before the structures are ceremonially burned—symbolizing the end of the old agricultural cycle.
Food is central to Magh Bihu. Rice takes many forms—Chira, Akhoi, Pitha, and Doi served in generous quantities. Community feasts reinforce the spirit of sharing and collective joy.
Alongside food and ritual, traditional Assamese games and events also play an important role. Tekeli bhonga, a pot-breaking game, adds excitement to the festivities, while buffalo fighting, held in specific regions, reflects older rural traditions connected to strength, skill, and farming life.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. In April 2023, Assam set two Guinness World Records when over 11,000 dancers and musicians performed Bihu together in Guwahati. It became the world’s largest Bihu dance and traditional folk music ensemble.
2. Traditional Bihu dance costumes are made from Assamese silk, especially Mekhela Chador (a two-piece dress with a skirt and a draped upper garment tied at the waist) for women and Dhoti (a white or off-white cloth wrapped around the waist), which is paired with Ankuris (traditional Assamese shirts) with a Gamosa (traditional towel used as a headgear or waistcloth) for men. The red and white color combination symbolizes joy, purity, and celebration.
Cultural Significance of Bihu
Bihu is deeply woven into Assamese identity. It transcends religion, caste, and class, bringing communities together through shared cultural expressions.
Its folk music, dance, and rituals have been passed down orally for generations, preserving local history, language, and values. In a rapidly changing world, Bihu continues to anchor Assamese culture in its relationship with land and seasons.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Bihu dance comprises various forms such as Husori, Beshma, and Jeng Bihu.
Like Bihu, many Indian harvest festivals celebrate gratitude, community, and new beginnings. If your child is curious about how different regions mark the harvest season, this post on children’s books for Makar Sankranti, Lohri, and Pongal is a wonderful companion read.
How Bihu Connects With Other Indian Harvest Festivals
While Bihu is deeply rooted in Assam’s landscape and agricultural rhythms, it is part of a much larger story unfolding across India every January. As the harvest season concludes and the sun begins its northward journey, different regions mark this transition in their own unique ways.
In Punjab, this moment is celebrated as Lohri, a festival centered around fire, warmth, and community. Like Magh Bihu, Lohri reflects gratitude for the harvest and the hope for continued abundance.
Further south in Tamil Nadu, the same seasonal shift is observed as Pongal, a multi-day festival that places farmers, cattle, and the sun at its center.
In Gujarat, Uttarayan transforms the skies into a canvas of color with kite flying, marking the arrival of longer days and brighter seasons. Though its expression is different, the spirit remains the same—celebrating harvest, sunlight, and renewal, much like Magh Bihu and Makar Sankranti.
Together, Bihu, Lohri, Pongal, and Uttarayan show how one seasonal moment is interpreted through diverse regional traditions—using fire, food, prayer, and play.
FURTHER READING
2. Bohag Bihu
