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Sports and Culture

How Bihu celebrations in Assam is marked by sports

Much like the Yaoshang festival of Manipur where sports play a crucial role in the celebrations, the people of Assam, too, have embraced sports with open hands in their celebrations of Bihu.

How Bihu celebrations in Assam is marked by sports
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Traditional Buffalo fight in progress on the occasion of "Bhogali Bihu" festival (Source: Nitin Trivedi:Facebook)

By

Abhijit Nair

Published: 14 April 2021 7:02 AM GMT

It is the time of festivities in India. If on one hand, the country is witnessing the Kumbh Mela where hundreds of devotees have congregated to celebrate one of the largest religious festivals of the world, then on the other side, various communities in the country are celebrating their new year others since yesterday.

Amongst the festivals being celebrated in the country today is Bihu. A traditional festival celebrated in the north-eastern state of Assam, Bihu is a harvest festival. It gets its name from the Sanskrit word 'Bishu' translates into 'asking Gods for prosperity during the season of harvests'.

Bihu is celebrated tri-annually. The one celebrated in the month of April is called Rongali or Bohang Bihu also doubles up as the Assamese New Year. The remaining two are celebrated in the month of January and October and are called Magh Bihu and Kati Bihu respectively.



Though, at its core, Bihu is a festival of harvest, did you know that sports play a very crucial role during its celebrations in the state?

More so in during the Magh Bihu in January, sports serves as an integral medium of the festival celebrations. People across the state indulge in various sports like Nightingale-fight, Buffalo-fight, Cock-fight, Egg-fight, Dhopkhel and many other such events.

On the other hand, sports like Tekeli Bhonga, Tug-of-war for children, Powerlifting, Kabaddi and others are the more popular ones during the Rongali Bihu in the month of April.

Over the years, these sports have become an intrinsic part of the Bihu celebrations in the state. Much like the Yaoshang festival of Manipur where sports play a crucial role in the celebrations, the people of Assam, too, have embraced sports with open hands in their celebrations of Bihu.




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