Famous Festivals of Assam
In this article, you can get all the detailed information about fairs and festivals Assam. Festivals of Assam are very beautiful and exciting. Most of the festivals celebrated in Assam has their roots in the diverse faith and belief of her inhabitants, but a spirit of accommodation and togetherness characterizes the celebration of all festivals. Read the full article to know about the major fairs and festivals in Assam.
Fairs and Festivals of Assam
Assam is a beautiful state with an incredible range of cultures and fairs and festivals located in the northeast of India. Every year, various types of Fairs and Festivals are celebrated in Assam. The festivals of Assam are fascinating, reflecting the tradition and lifestyle of the people. Fairs are generally associated with religious functions in temples. The perfect fusion of heritage of her numerous races has made Assam the home of the most colorful festivals which are passionate, compelling and mesmerizing reflecting the true spirit, tradition and lifestyle of the people of Assam. Foremost festivals and fairs celebrated in Assam are bihu festival, elephant festival, rongali ustav, majuli festival, Brahmaputra festival, Dehing Patkai Festival, Tea Festival. Assam people are observed all these festivals with lots of happiness.Bihu festival of Assam
Bihu is considered as the important national festival of Assam. The word 'Bihu' originated from the Sanskrit word 'Vishnu'. This festival is a combination of three Bihu festivals of Assam which is celebrated 3 times in a year and named as Bohag Bihu, Magh Bihu and Kati Bihu. Bohag Bihu is celebrated in mid April; the Magh Bihu is celebrated in mid January and Kati Bihu is celebrated in mid October. One important aspect of the Bihu festival is that the entire Assamese Community irrespective caste, creed and religious followings celebrate it. Bihu is mainly a culture of the masses, secular in concept and it is intimately connected with agriculture. The Rongali Bihu marks the agricultural New Year at the advent of seeding time and is celebrated as the Festival of Merriment. The Kati Bihu marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies. The Magh Bihu marks the end of the harvesting period. Another item which forms an integral part of the Bihu celebrations and is also symbolic of Assamese Culture is the Japi – a traditional Bamboo hat with colorful designs. A more simple bamboo Japi is normally worn by the farmer while cultivating in the field protecting oneself from the sun and rain. Bihu dance and Bihu songs are an integral part of the Bihu festival. The Bihu Dance is one of the most colourful folk dances of Assam. The Bihu dances, performed by young boys and girls featuring brisk stepping, flinging and flipping of hands and swaying of hips, representing youthful passion, reproductive urge and 'Joie-de-vivre'. Tribal groups like the Misings the Deoris and the Morans celebrate "Bihu" with dances of their own distinctive style. The people of Assam celebrated this bihu festival with full of joy.Elephant festival of Assam
The popular Elephant Festival is organized in the north eastern state of Assam. Elephant Festival is biggest festival, which is celebrated for conservation and protection of the Elephants of Asia. This Festival is organized every year at Kaziranga National Park in Assam, jointly by the Forest Department and Tourism Department, Govt. of Assam. This Festival is also intended to raise awareness about the elephant's struggle for all kinds of limited resources with humans. There are various activities by domestic elephants and various cultural programmers performed by the locales to make the event more & more entertaining. The main objective of the Kaziranga Elephant Festival is to find out a solution to resolve the increasing man-elephant conflict. During this festival, the elephants are neatened to perfection. The festival will be marked by various activities from the domestic elephants as well as different cultural performances. Rows upon rows of majestic elephant catwalk before enthralled audience during this awareness-raising and eco-tourism opportunity. Elephant Festival of Kaziranga in Assam is celebrated every year at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam from 11th February to 17th February for this Special event is drawing an increasing number of visitors to this place during this period. The festival will be marked by various activities from the domestic elephants as well as different cultural performances.Rongali Utsav of Assam
Rongali Utsav is celebrated at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in the month of April every year. It is one of the major festivals of Assam. Rongali Utsav is an enchanting festival of Assam celebrated with great fervour. It is related to season and agriculture. The advent of spring marks the celebration of this festival which is also known as 'Bohag Bihu'. Through this festival Assamese welcome the season of seed sowing and pray for a great harvest. The festival stretches for several days. During the festival the womenfolk get busy making delicious Pitha, larus(traditional food prepared from rice and coconut) and Jolpan. Rongali means delight and the festival in this season is full of joy. Rongali Utsav is a melting pot of the numerous tribes, sub-tribes and communities inhabiting the banks of the mighty river Brahmaputra. Colouful rituals mark the first day of Rongali Bihu celebrated as Garu Bihu. During this festival people bathe their cows also and put new garlands round their necks and new ropes are used to tie the cows. Good food is served to the cows. So the cow has an important place in this festival. The Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu celebrations are quite colourful and vibrant. Making this occasion, the young boys and girls in village don traditional dhoti, gamosa and saadar mekhela and sing Bihugeets or folk Bihu songs in traditional bihutolis or Mukoli Bihus. The accompanied orchestra of dhol, pépa (buffalo hornpipe) and gagana add happiness to the celebrations.Majuli Festival of Assam
Majuli Festival is one of the beautiful festivals of Assam. Majuli, is famous as the world's biggest river island, nestles in the lap of the mighty Brahmaputra. This festival held on the bank of the River Luit in the state of Assam, which is indeed a backdrop of immense scenic beauty. This is only 1.5 km of distance from the Garamur, i.e. sub divisional head quarter of Majuli. The most striking phenomenon of this festival is the assimilation of different ethnic groups under one sky to exemplify the resplendency of their culture and heritage. There will be a lot of scopes to fit you as a part of this festival. Special events are being organized during the festivals days round the clock. Cultural programmer will continue with the participation of various traditional and classical cultural troupes of Assam and troupes from rest of the country, in addition to rich cultural of Majuli. The festival starts from the 21st of the month of November and continue for four days ending on the 24th of November. The Majuli festival assembles the tradition and culture of this state. During this festival, Exhibitions are also organized with the presentation of various Assamese items, specially designed and prepared by expert artists displaying traditional glory of Majuli too. Assamese and tribal dishes of Majuli are also available and food festival is also organized during this period. In this Majuli festival, every authentic traditional item, including tribal garment and handicrafts, traditional pottery items, valuable items made of bamboo and cane are being displayed for sale. So, every people can also enjoy the visit to Majuli through bringing the souvenirs of the festival to home, buying different products from this fair. The accumulation and assimilation of all ethnic bodies under the same sky, holding their traditional cultural entities is a very noticeable aspect that easily captivates the visitors to this island.Dehing Patkai Festival of Assam
Dehing Patkai festival is a specialty of the state of Assam. The beauty of the region and the season is enhanced by the joyous celebrations of the festival of Dehing Patkai. This festival derives its name from the lofty Patkai range and the playful Dehing River of Assam. This festival is celebrated in the winter month of January, which is held at Lekhapani in Tinsukia district of Assam. The state of Assam is a proud owner of motleyed history and captivating beauty is a great festival organized by the Government of Assam. The Festival offers a wide range of adventure sports wike angwing, kayaking and parasaiwing. The main part of festival harps on the necessity of protecting the elephants from the encroacher and developing elephant corridors. Increasing the awareness of the village people of Assam is also now an integrated part of the festival. Recovering the forest cover of the state shall also be included as the part of the planned program of the festival of Dehing Patkai. During the Dehing Patkai Festival the visitors can choose to go for an elephant safari and take a path into the wildness. The Patkai Festival of Dehing in Assam also makes arrangements for Food Festival, Craft Fair, and Cultural Functions for the visitors.Tea Festival of Assam
Tea festival is also shows the culture of Assam. Tea festival is a unique festive celebration of the state of Assam. Assam is famous for tea. The tea gardens have a major role to play in the economy of the state. The state is ranked as the world's second commercial tea producing place. It produces fine quality black, white and green tea. The history of tea production in the state goes back to the 10th century CE. During the times when tea was not produced for commercial purposes, the people of this state used to chew tea leaves without processing them. Now it is the largest tea exporting center of the country. The main center of the festival is Jorhat city which is called the Tea Capital of the World. November marks the beginning of Tourism Festival organized by Assam Tourism every year. During this festival an exhibition was held showcasing the growth and development of the tea industry and how tea is produced and also Assam tea is the highlight of the festival which is held for 3 days. Varieties of tea are on display. Visitors can also taste and select from the wide varieties of tea available. This festival includes a visit to the many splendid tea gardens, the golf course and the Guwahati Tea Auction Center, which is the largest of its kind in India. The tea festival has been organized in a systematic and beautiful manner. Everybody is enjoying the festival.
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