Magh Bihu or Maghor Domahi
Dr. Praphulladatta Goswami
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| Magh Bihu or Maghor Domahi |
Important
Questions & Answersd
1. In which part of Assam does Magh Bihu have a strong hold?
Or
When is the Magh Bihu celebrated? Where
has the Magh Bihu seemed to have a stronger hold?
Ans: The Magh Bihu is the post-harvest winter festival. The Magh Bihu have
a stronger hold on the people of Lower Assam, not excluding the tribal. The
Magh Bihu is popular as the Domahi, meaning the junction of two months. Magh
Bihu is known as Bhogali Bihu or the Bihu of enjoyment.
2. What is the Bihu eve known as?
Ans: The Bihu eve known as Uruka.
3. In which season, the Kati Bihu is celebrated?
Ans: The Kati Bihu is celebrated in autumn season.
4. What is takeli pitha?
Ans: Takeli pitha is a type of pitha(cake) which is made from salted rice
powder steamed on the mouth of small pitcher or even a kettle.
5. What did tribal setting of woman prepare for the Bihu or in Uruka?
Ans: In tribal setting of woman prepared rice beer, usually undistilled. In
winter, they take four or five days to get the beer matured.
6. What is Mah-Karai or Mah-Kare?
Ans: Mah-Karai or Mah-Kare is a combination of roasted rice, black grams,
sesame and pieces of ginger. When offered for chewing, it is smeared with oil.
7. What is the Tulasi plant symbolic of?
Ans: Tulasi plant is symbolic of Vrinda, one of the devotees of Lord
Krishna.
8. How do women folk prepare for the celebration of Uruka?
Ans: In the day of Uruka , the woman folk get ready for the next day with
Chira, pitha, laru and so on. In the day, fuel has to be gathered, fish has to
be got from the ponds or streams and if possible some meat are too. In tribal
setting, woman prepare rice-beer.
9. What is the importance of the ‘meji’ andf ‘Bhelaghar’ built for Magh Bihu?
Ans: The Meji and Bhelahgar built for Magh Bihu is a custom of the Magh
Bihu. It is the most special for the cowherds who spent the night in a
Bhelaghar warming themselves by a fire and making use of the vegetable. In the
day of the Magh Bihu, the male folk and the children go to the Mejis and
Bhelaghar where offering of eatables are made of the God’s name, Agni. Then
with cries of God’s name, fire is set to the structures of Meji and Bhelaghar.
It is believed that red flames warm the people so long shivering in cold and
the tube of bamboo burst like gunfire.
10. Give a brief
account of the various sports and martial arts related to Magh Bihu?
Ans: One interesting feature of Magh Bihu is the holding
of sports, like wrestling, racing, egg fighting , jumping, buffalo fighting and
so on. In earlier time , more martial games like sword play and javelin
throwing were customary. From weeks ahead young people used to make camps on
dry river banks and exercise themselves in the arts which were found necessary
to defend the land from aggressors.
11. People don’t take
the usual rice and curry on the Domahi for their lunch. What are the different
kinds of food items that people have for lunch on this particular day?
Ans: The
people take the lunch on the day of Domahi and Samkranti day or Uruka is not
rice but chira, pitha, curd, mah-karai, takeli pitha, sunga pitha and so on.
12. The Uruka happens
to be an important aspect of Magh Bihu. Give an elaborate account of the
celebration associated with Uruka?
Ans: “Uruka
feasting may be a family affair or communal.” Uruka is the Bihu eve. It is the
previous day of Magh Bihu. On this day, the woman folk get ready for the next
day with chira, pitha, laru, curd and so on. On the day, fuel has to be
gathered, fish has to be got from the pond or from streams, and if possible
some meat are too. In tribal setting, woman prepare rice beer.
Another important part of the Uruka is the made of Meji and Bhelaghar. Sometimes cowherd pass the night in Bhelaghar warming themselves by a fire and making use of vegetable that they steal from the villagers’ gardens and eatable that are given to them.Thus, Uruka is celebrated enjoyfully in Assam.
13. All though the
Kacharis, the most numerous tribe of Assam, have similar customs like the Magh
Bihu, they differ in certain features. Describe the manner in which the
Kacharis celebrate their festival during the time of Assamese Magh Bihu?
Ans: Among
the other communities of Assam, the Kacharis are also celebrated the Magh Bihu
enjoyfully. They tie cords round fruit-bearing trees. They offer rice to ‘the
flying, the sinking and the moving’ that to birds, to fishes and to animals
like dogs and pigs.
Further, on the day of Domahi,
they put a mark of water mixed with cowdung around their granary. On the 7th
day of Magh Bihu(6th Magh), they again clean the utensils, sacrifice
fowls to Bothou, their chief God and go out carol singing, collecting eatables.
They call it custom magan or begging.
Kacharis consider the construction of Bhelaghar and setting fire to them to be the special prerogative of cowherd boys. The boys burns the Bhelaghar before the dawn with a prayer “Glory, Glory, Glory- Glory to our village!” This prayer is prayed not to visit the disease in their village and increasing the paddy and be riches also that their cattle may be large and strong like rhinoceros and the elephants.
14. How Kati Bihu
celebrated in Assam?
Ans: Kati
Bihu is held in autumn season has a little significance. In the family yards, a
light is put at the foot of the Tulasi plant. In this Bihu, the ploughman does
certain things for the protection of their crops. They plants a small bamboo
and chant certain mantras to protect the maturing paddy from pests. Some
persons light the Akash-banti or the sky
lamp hanging form tall bamboo.
Or
What is Sunga-pitha? What is the different in
present situation in Lower Assam and in the Upper Assam? How is to made with?
Ans: Sunga-pitha
is a type of cake which is made from moist rice powder put in green bamboo tube
and roasted in fire. The ingredient mixed with the powder used to be salt but
now-a-days some people prefer a sweet variety.
In upper Assam, the people make Sunga-saul which is made from sticky bora rice steamed in a bamboo tube. When it is done, the sticky roll is made into pieces and eaten mixed with milk and gur. In Upper Assam, there seems to be a preference for fried pithas.
16. What do the people
take in the evening meal of Uruka?
Ans: The Evening meal consist of rice or new rice, curry of black gram, fried yam and so on. Next day, at noon it is a customary to take a little left over rice kept soaked in water and left overdal.
17. What do the
Brahmins or elderly persons do in the Uruka?
Ans: The
Brahmins or elderly person give blessing and put marks of ash.
Ans: The
fire-ritual have apparently an Indo-European origin.
Ans: The
temple shaped build in Uruka of Magh Bihu is called Meji and which are hutlike
those are Bhelaghar. Usually young lads (boys) take a hand in this
The structure of Meji or Bhelaghar
are made with green bamboo, dried banana leaves, hay and so on. The other name
of temple lie structure is Meji.
Ans: On
the day of the Magh Bihu, the people set fire to the Bhelaghars and Mejis with
the cries of God’s name. It is believed that red flames warm the people so long
shivering in cold. After the fire, the half-burnt sticks are scattered in the
fields and the pieces are thrown near the fruit-bearing trees. As the belief of
increasing the fertility of fields and gardens. Europeans are also performing
the fire rituals. They light lantern and midsummer fire in the belief of the
efficacy of ashes and embers as a mean of fertility. So, the author believes
that the fire ritual associated with Magh Bihu have an Indo-European origin.
Or
How do the Vaishnavism influence the
aspects of the Magh Buhu?
Ans: In
the Uruka, people sit and to the accompaniment of kettledrums and large cymbals
hold a session of hymn-singing. The fact of holding ‘nam-prasanga’ or
hymn-singing is a noted feature of Magh Bihu or the month and suitable for
religious purpose of accepting the influence of the Vaishnavism.
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