Assam on Wednesday celebrated Magh Bihu, the state’s popular harvest festival, with traditional rituals, community feasts, and widespread cultural programmes that brought together people across communities and age groups. From early morning prayers to night-long festivities around bonfires, urban and rural areas alike witnessed a vibrant display of Assamese culture and agrarian heritage.
The celebrations began on the eve of Magh Bihu, known as Uruka, with families and villagers organising community feasts or meji bhoj in temporary bamboo-and-thatch huts called bhelaghars. People gathered to cook traditional dishes, including fish, meat, rice, and seasonal vegetables, while women prepared pitha, laru, and other homemade delicacies. Children and youth spent the night singing, playing games, and guarding the bhelaghars, adding to the festive spirit.
On Magh Bihu morning, people lit large ceremonial bonfires known as meji, offering pitha, til pitha, betel nuts, and hay to the flames while praying for prosperity and a good harvest in the coming year. Many also performed the customary ritual of warming themselves near the fire before taking ceremonial baths, which is believed to purify the body and soul.
Across towns and villages, traditional sports such as buffalo fights, cockfights, egg fights (koni juj), that drew large crowds. Cultural events featuring Bihu songs, dance performances, and folk music were organised by local youth clubs and cultural organisations, showcasing Assam’s rich folk traditions.
Markets in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and other major towns had seen brisk business in the days leading up to the festival, with high demand for rice, jaggery, sesame, fish, poultry, and weaving products. Artisans and small-scale producers of traditional food items and handloom products reported good sales.
Several leaders and public representatives extended greetings to the people of Assam, calling Magh Bihu a symbol of unity, harmony, and gratitude towards nature. As night fell, fireworks, community gatherings, and family get-togethers continued across the state, marking the close of another year’s harvest and the hope of a bountiful future.
