MAGH BIHU(ENGLISH, HS SECOND YEAR)

 

MAGH BIHU

Q. Write a note on Magh bihu and uruka

 

Ans : Magh bihu and uruka :

Magh bihu, the post harvest winter festival seems to have a strong hold on people of lower Assam, not excluding the tribals. A fire ceremony is closely associated with magh bihu, but more significant is uruka, the bihu eve. On this day women folk get ready with chira, pitha, laru, curd etc for the next day. Uruka is not exactly a one day affair, for fuel has to be gathered, fish has to be got from ponds, streams and if possible some meat too. The tribal women prepare rice- beer, usually undistilled. In winter it takes four or five days to get the beer matured.

 

Another important chore/work is to build temple-like structures in fields. Usually young boys take a hand in this. These structures made with green bamboo, dried leaves and hay look like temples and they are called meji. Hut-like structures are called Bhelaghar. Sometimes the cowherds pass the night in a Bhelaghar warming themselves by a fire eating the vegetables stolen from the villagers' garden.

 

Uruka feasting may be a family affair or communal. After the feasting is over, next morning someone ties thin strips of bamboo, jute or hay around fruit bearing trees. The lunch taken on bihu is not rice and curry but chira curd and so on. Some special preparations for the day are mah karai, tekeli pitha, sunga pitha etc. Next day at noon it is customary to take a little leftover rice kept soaked in water and left over dal. That's why people term magh bihu as the festival of feasting.

 

Q. Describe the different kinds of sports associated with magh bihu.

Ans: One interesting feature of magh bihu is holding sports like wrestling, racing, jumping, buffalo fighting, egg fighting. In earlier times more martial games like swordplay and javelin throwing were customary. From weeks ahead young people used to make camps on dry river banks and exercise some martial arts which were found necessary to defend the land from aggressors.

 

Q. Describe the manner in which the Kacharis celebrate their festival during the time of Assamese Magh bihu.

Ans: The Kacharis celebrate magh bihu a bit differently. They also tie cords round fruit bearing trees. They offer rice to "the flying, the sinking and the moving. On the domahi day they put a mark of water mixed with cow-dung around their granary. On the seventh day of magh bihu (6th magh) they again clean their utensils, sacrifice fowls to Bathou and go out singing carols and collecting eatables. They call this custom magan. They consider the construction of Bhelaghars and setting fire to them to be the special prerogative of cowherd boys. They burn the Bhelaghars before dawn and pray that diseases may not visit their village, that their village may be filled with paddy and riches.

 

Q. Kati bihu according to the author can not be called a festival as such. How is kati bihu celebrated?

Ans : Kati bihu has no public significance according to the writer. In the family yard a light is put at the foot of the Tulsi plant and women and children pray sitting by the side of the plant. The plant is considered symbolic of Vrinda, one of the devotees of Krishna. Another aspect of kati bihu is that the plough man plants a small bamboo in the field and lights an earthen lamp at its foot. He also chants mantras for the protection of his crop. Some people light the akash-banti or the sky lamp hanging from tall bamboo.

 

Q. What is mah korai?

Ans : Mah korai is a combination of roasted rice, black gram, sesame and pieces of ginger.

 

Q. What is tekeli pitha?

Ans : Tekeli pitha is salted rice powder steamed on the mouth of a small pitcher or even a kettle. It looks like an idli.

 

Q. What is sunga pitha?

Ans : Sunga pitha is a kind of food prepared during magh bihu and that is moist rice powder put in a green bamboo tube and roasted in fire.