Ali-Aye-Ligang
Ali-Aye-Ligang is a spring festival associated with agriculture, specially with the beginning of the Ahu paddy cultivation. It is celebrated by the Missing or Mishing ethnic community of Assam, India. The festival marks onset of sowing seeds. The name of the festival is made up of three terms, 'Ali', legumes, 'Aye', seed and 'Ligang', to sow.
The festival begins on 'Ligange lange', the first Wednesday of 'Gimur Polo', which occurs in February in the Gregorian calendar or on Wednesday of the month of Fagun of Indian/Assamese calendar and in the month of February in English calendar which lasts for five days.
In this festival young people of the community in particular participate in 'GUMRAAG SOMAN' and dance to the tune of folk songs and melodious 'oi: nitom'. The first day of the festival is marked by the ceremonial start of paddy sowing and throughout the festival many others activities such as ploughing and tree cutting are forbidden.
The last day of festival called as ‘Lilen’ is observed with a grand community feast. During this festival, Misings indulge in great banquet with Poro Apong or Nogin Apong (homemade Rice wine) with various dishes, especially made with pork meat. ‘Purang Apin’ (packed boiled rice) is cooked in water with special leaves. This is a special dish prepared by Misings which is cooked only during Ali Aye Ligang.
In this festival a popular dance is performed by the young Mising people which is known as Gumrag. The formal dance of the festival starts from the easternmost house of the village and in the end it extending towards the field and the river. This dance is performed by encircling the courtyard of the house of the villagers.
The songs of Ali-Aye-Ligang do not remain restricted to the songs of youth alone. The subjects and themes of the songs are varied. They include the life of a man, his sufferings in this life and his death. Apart from them, the songs describe the matters of individual love and affection including joy and pain. Mainly the songs of the festival speak of the various experiences of the Misings in their day to day life. The Music composed for these festivals consists of instruments like the drums, sifung (flutes), cymbal, gong and gungang (gagana).
The Ambubachi Mela
The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu mela held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June when sun transit to the zodiac of Mithuna, when the Brahmaputra river is in spate.It is the celebration of the yearly menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya.It is believed that the presiding goddess of the temple, Devi Kamakhya, the Mother Shakti, goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time stretch. It is also believed that during the monsoon rains the creative and nurturing power of the 'menses' of Mother Earth becomes accessible to devotees at this site during the mela. There is no idol of the presiding deity but she is worshipped in the form of a yoni-like stone instead over which a natural spring flows.
This mela is also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival since it is closely associated with Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in eastern parts of India. Even some Tantric Babas make their public appearances only during these four days. The rest of the year, they remain in seclusion. Some Babas are seen displaying their psychic powers like putting their heads in a pit and stand upright on it, standing on one leg for hours at a stretch.
The temple remains closed for three days during the mela for it is believed that mother earth becomes unclean for three days like the traditional women's menstrual seclusion. During these three days some restrictions are observed by the devotees like not cooking, not performing puja or reading holy books, no farming etc.After three days devi Kamakhya is bathed and other rituals are performed to ensure that the devi retrieves her purity. Then the doors of the temple are reopened and prasad is distributed. On the fourth day the devotees are allowed to enter the temple and worship devi Kamakhya.
The prasad is distributed in two forms – Angodak and Angabastra. Angodak literally means the fluid part of the body - water from the spring and Angabastra literally means the cloth covering the body - a piece of the red cloth used to cover the stone yoni during the days of menstruation.
Every year lakhs of pilgrims, starting from Sadhus to householders, from all over India, come to Guwahati to observe this festival. They include Sanyasins, black clad Aghoras, the Khade-babas, the Baul or singing minstrels of West Bengal, intellectual and folk Tantriks, Sadhus and Sadhvis with long matted hair etc. Even foreigners from abroad come to seek blessings of mother Kamakhya
Bihu
Bihu is the chief festival in Assam . It refers to a set of three different festivals: Rangali or Bohag Bihu observed in April, Kangali or Kati Bihu observed in October, and Bhogali or Magh Bihu observed in January. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is the one that is all about food. The Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies.
The most important and colourful of the three Bihu festivals is the Spring festival "Bohag Bihu" or Rongali Bihu celebrated in the middle of April to welcome the new year. This is also the onset of the agricultural season.The Rangali Bihu coincides with Vaisakhi in north India observed by Sikhs and Hindus, and Hindu festivals with similar significance are known by many other names in different parts of India, such as Vishu in Kerala. The other two Bihu festivals every year are unique to Assamese people. Like some other Indian festivals, Bihu is associated with agriculture, and rice in particular. Bohag is a sowing festival, Kati is associated with crop protection, while Bhogali is a harvest festival. Assamese celebrate the Rangoli Bihu with feasts, music and dancing.
The three Bihu are Hindu festivals with reverence for Krishna, cattle (Goru Bihu), elders in family, fertility and mother goddess, but the celebrations and rituals reflect influences from aborigine, southeast Asia and Sino-Tibetan cultures. In contemporary times, the Bihus are celebrated by all Assamese people irrespective of religion, caste or creed. It is also celebrated overseas by the Assamese diaspora community living worldwide.
The term Bihu is also used to imply Bihu dance otherwise called Bihu Naas and Bihu folk songs also called Bihu Geet.
The first day of the bohag 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.
Rongali Bihu is also a fertility festival, where the bihu dance with its sensuous movements using the hips, arms, etc., by the young women call out to celebrate their fertility.
The Seven days Haat Bihu
Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu festival continues for seven days and called as Xaat Bihu. The seven days are known as Chot Bihu, Goru Bihu, Manuh Bihu, Kutum Bihu, Senehi Bihu, Mela Bihu and Chera 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 (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 bonfire or 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
Me Dam Me Phi is one of the important festivals observed by the Ahoms from very ancient times. The word ‘Me’ means offerings. ‘Dam’ means ancestors and ‘Phi’ means gods. So the word ‘Me Dam Me Phi’ means oblations offered to the dead and sacrifices to Gods. This festival is observed individually by a family and publicly by a king and the general people.
The Ahoms perform this worship annually in honour of their ancestors. They believe that a man after his death remains as ‘Dam’(ancestor) only for a few days and soon he becomes ‘Phi’ (God). They also believe that the soul of a man which is immortal unites with the supreme soul, possesses the qualities of a spiritual being and always blesses the family.
So every Ahom family in order to worship the dead establish a pillar on the opposite side of the kitchen (Barghar) which is called ‘Damkhuta’ where they worship the dead with various offerings like homemade wine, mah-prasad, rice with various items of meat and fish. The Ahom kings performed this worship after victory in wars and to ward off any imminent danger of the State.
The Ahoms had their own tenets and faith. From the Ahom chronicles it can be known that when Lengdan (Indra), the God of heaven, sent two of his grandsons Khunlung and Khunlai to earth by a golden chain at that moment Gasingpha, the God of knowledge advised them to perform Umpha, Phuralong, Me dam Me Phi and Rikhan worships in different months of a year on different occasions. Since that day till now Me Dam Me Phi has been observed by all the Ahoms.
When Me Dam Me Phi is observed publicly worship is offered in the name of three gods and they are Me Dam Me Phi, Dam Changphi and Grihadam. God Dam Chao Phi is associated with the belief of some natural powers like creation and destruction, water, lightning and storm, sun, moon, learning, diseases, earth, etc.
Worship is done by Ahom priests Deodhai and Bailung by chanting Tai mantras and following the codes (Bidhan) given in the puthis (books) like Phralung and Banfi, etc. God Dam Chang Phi is the ancestor God from sixth to fourteenth generation of a family. Grihadam is also the ancestor God up to fourth generation of a family. Worship to Grihadam is offered in the month of Kati at the time of harvesting new Ahu rice, in the month of Aghon at the time of harvesting new Sali Dhan and at the time of three Bihus.
On the day of Me Dam Me Phi worship is offered only to Chaufi and Dam Chaufi because they are regarded as gods of heaven. Changphi and Grihadam are not worshipped on that day because they are regarded as earthly gods.
There are several instances of performing this festival by the Ahom kings. In the Ahom Buranji translated by G.C. Boruah it is mentioned that Suhungmung Dihingia Raja performed Me Dam Me Phi after defeating the Kacharis on the banks of the river Dhansiri in 1563 occupied the whole of the Dhansiri valley along with the northern portion of the Kolong river.
As was the prevailing tradition king Suhungmung in order to commemorate this victory performed both the Me Dam Me Phi and Rikhan festival in his capital desiring longevity of him and his subjects. Sukhampha alias Khura Raja realizing danger from the Koches made an alliance with the Koch king and after this successful alliance the king performed Me Dam Me Phi in his capital.
Thus it is seen that the Ahom kings performed Me Dam Me Phi on many occasions for averting any imminent danger, commemorating victory and desiring longevity of life. This festival not only reflects the manners and customs of the Ahoms but also helps to create unity, feeling of brotherhood and mutual understanding among the new generation.
The Kaziranga Elephant Festival
The Kaziranga Elephant Festival is a yearly elephant festival held in the Kaziranga National Park of Assam for the conservation and protection of Asiatic elephant. The festival is jointly organised by the Forest Department and Tourism Department of Assam with an objective to highlight and find ways to resolve the increasing man-elephant conflict.Hundreds of domestic Asiatic elephants, decorated from head to toe, participate in the program. They take part in parade, races, football and dance earning praises from the spectators.
Bathow Puja
Bathow Puja is an important religious festival of the Bodo-Kacharies of Assam, India. In this festival, the people worship a god known by different names like Gila Damra, Khuria Bwrai, Sri Brai (Shib bwrai), Bathow Bwrai etc. Some identify this god with the Hindu god Lord Shiva. The different forms of this festival are-Garja, Kherai and Marai. Among these festivals Kherai is the most significant.
Kherai Puja
Before this festival the religious rites of the Garja are performed and consequently a date is fixed by the Bodo villagers for performing the Kherai Puja. In kherai Puja, a cactus called Bwrai Bathow surrounded by a small bamboo boundary is offered flowers, fruits and some grains. Different leaves like special grass, mango leaves and tulsi leaves dipped in a small pot with water is also kept nearby. The incense and Dhuna (coconut peel burnt in a small holder) keep on burning arousing nice fragrance. In this puja, Doudini, the oracle possessed by the Gods plays the main role. The dodini enchanted with mantras by the Deuri (priest) performs the Kherai dance in front of the cactus called Bwrai Bathow. She is accompanied by music played by men at a distance. The beat of the music has to follow the exact rhythm as taught by the Doudini beforehand. The spectators watch the Puja from outside the boundary made of bamboos.
Barechahariya Bhaona
Barechahariya Bhaona is a two hundred year old drama festival held at an interval of 5 years at Jamugurihat, a Small Town in Sonitpur District, Assam.The festival was first held in 1797.
The convergence of religion and culture has given this festival the strength to survive the friction of time while retaining its enduring and mesmerizing quality of storytelling. The Bhaona is a dramatization of stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas etc. in a different style created by the Mahapurush Sankardev, the great vaishnavite saint, philosopher, reformer, poet, writer, dramatist etc. depicted with Bhakti Rasa in the form of different Raga & Tala. The main target of the saint was to unite the then diverse society with the spirit of entertainment and also to attract towards the vaishnavism preached by Him.The traditional Bhaowna is held in a Namghar, the traditional prayer house of a village unit called Khel and also in Sattras, a monastery like institution to promote the Sankari culture, founded by Sankardev.In the traditional Bhaowna there is always a group of musicians comprising Gayan & Bayan that is singer and drummer who begin the orchestra (Jora) in Sankari style followed by the entry of Sutradhar who recites slokas and narrates the entire story of the drama to be performed. The Director, here is known as Gayanbora commands other performers to make entryinto their own stage. Nam prasanga meanskirtana also is an integral part of the Bhaona. Brajabuli is used to script the dialogues.The concept of Barechaharia Bhaona is derived from the traditional Bhaona and in this festival, unlike other Bhaona it is performed by several teams. The Bhaona is performed simultaneously by teams from the different villages of the region on several stages by the holy altar in the center. It is of great pride to say that only materials used is the locally abundant bamboo, thatch, cane etc. with help from community workers from the locality. The unique design, the rudimentary materials used and the organization of labour may atfirst seem unfit for such a beautiful creation; however, it is something to sense and all of a sudden standing under the pandal which can fit 30,000 makes one think about the magnanimity of human motivation and dedication.It can be said without doubt that people who pour in from various corners of the region reaches several lakhs over the span of the Barechaharia Bhaona. The sea of population that surrounds the Bhaona pandal every day are of different caste, creed & community and the palpable senseof culture all around binds each and every one of them into one single thread of human kind.We hope the modern technology applied toprint and audio-visual media can do a lot for appraisal of this rare cultural show across the globe.
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