Bhogali Bihu (Magh Bihu)

Magh Bihu, the harvest festival in Assam draws no less pomp and gaiety across the state in mid January. The festival of feast marks and end to the biting winter season paving the way for the advent of spring. The community feast is organized a day before the main annual event. Popularly called as Uruka, here people celebrate the evening with feast apart from cultural functions. The women folk prepare bihu pastries and other delicious to be served to the near and dear ones towards the uruka evening. The ukura is celebrated near a make shift house called Bhelaghar to be set on fire the next day. On the Bihu day a wooden structure called meji is lit up to offer puja to the fire god. People greet each other and visit their near and dear ones. The youngers approach the elders seeking their blessings.

Rural games are also organized to mark the occasion. The striking feature of the annual festival is bulbul fight and buffalo fight. The local people in Hajo, in the outskirt of Guwahati city organize the fight of nightingales in a befitting manner. Hajo breaks into a sea of humanity when the people from the far flung areas of the state throng the entire temple town to catch glimpse of the unique event. Another feature is the buffalo fight where the focus fall on aahotguri in Nagaon district. Buffalos are brought to be fought with each others at a huge open field beside the National Highway No 37. Now a days, the women folk organize food fairs and cooking competitions to mark the occasion. After all, it is another occasion to boost brotherhood and bonhomie among the people of various castes and creeds.