Popular Assamese Festivals / āĻ āϏāĻŽā§° āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāϞāĻŋāϤ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāϏāĻŽā§āĻš
Popular Assamese Festivals / āĻ āϏāĻŽā§° āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāϞāĻŋāϤ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāϏāĻŽā§āĻš
Harvesting Festivals / āĻā§āώāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą
- Bihu Festival / āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§ – Celebrated three times a year:
- Bohag Bihu (Rongali Bihu) / āĻŦāĻšāĻžāĻ āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§ (ā§°āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§) – Mid-April; Assamese New Year; traditional dances, music, and feasting. / āĻāĻĒā§ā§°āĻŋāϞ āĻŽāĻžāĻšā§° āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤ; āĻ āϏāĻŽā§ā§āĻž āύāϤā§āύ āĻŦāĻā§°; āύā§āϤā§āϝ, āϏāĻāĻā§āϤ āĻā§°ā§ āĻā§āĻāĨ¤
- Kati Bihu (Kongali Bihu) / āĻāĻžāĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§ (āĻāĻāĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§) – Mid-October; prayers for a good harvest. / āĻ āĻā§āĻā§āĻŦā§° āĻŽāĻžāĻšā§° āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤ; āĻāĻžāϞ āĻā§āϤāĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻŽāύāĻž āĻā§°āĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻžā§°ā§āĻĨāύāĻžāĨ¤
- Magh Bihu (Bhogali Bihu) / āĻŽāĻžāĻ āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§ (āĻā§āĻāĻžāϞ⧠āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§) – Mid-January; end of harvest season; bonfires and feasting. / āĻāĻžāύā§ā§ąāĻžā§°ā§ āĻŽāĻžāĻšā§° āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤ; āĻā§āϤāĻŋ āĻļā§āώ⧰ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻā§āĻā§° āĻāĻ¸ā§ąāϞ āĻā§°ā§ āĻā§āĻāĨ¤
- Ali-Aye-Ligang / āĻāϞāĻŋ-āĻ āϝāĻŧā§-āϞāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ – Mishing community; beginning of sowing; decorative ploughing and traditional dance. / āĻŽāĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻ āĻāύāĻāĻžāϤāĻŋ; āĻŦā§āĻ āĻŦā§ā§ąāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻŽā§āĻāĻŖāĻŋ; āϏāĻāĻž āύā§āĻšā§ā§ąāĻž āύāĻžāĻāĻž āĻā§°ā§ āύā§āϤā§āϝāĨ¤
- Baishagu / āĻŦā§āĻļāĻžāĻā§ – Bodo community; mid-April; New Year celebrations with worship and dance. / āĻŦā§°āĻĄā§ āĻāύāĻāĻžāϤāĻŋ; āĻāĻĒā§ā§°āĻŋāϞ āĻŽāĻžāĻšā§° āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤ; āĻĒā§āĻāĻž āĻā§°ā§ āύā§āϤā§āϝ⧰ āϏā§āϤ⧠āύāϤā§āύ āĻŦāĻā§°ā§° āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāĨ¤
- Wangala / ā§ąāĻžāĻāĻāĻžāϞāĻž – Garo tribe; harvest festival giving thanks to Sun God (Misi Saljong). / āĻāĻžā§°ā§ āĻāύāĻāĻžāϤāĻŋ; āĻā§āϤāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āϏā§ā§°ā§āϝāĻĻā§ā§ą (āĻŽāĻŋāϏāĻŋ āĻāϞāĻāĻ)āĻ āϧāύā§āϝāĻŦāĻžāĻĻ āĻā§āĻāĻžāĻĒāύāĨ¤
- Religious Festivals / āϧ⧰ā§āĻŽā§āϝāĻŧ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą
- Ambubachi Mela / āĻ āĻŽā§āĻŦā§āĻŦāĻžāĻā§ āĻŽā§āϞāĻž – Kamakhya Temple; celebrates womanhood and fertility; marks Goddess Kamakhya’s menstruation period. / āĻāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻŽāύā§āĻĻāĻŋā§°; āĻŽāĻšāĻŋāϞāĻž āĻā§°ā§ āĻā§°ā§āϧā§āĻŦāĻļāĻā§āϤāĻŋā§° āĻĒā§āĻāĻž; āĻāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻĻā§ā§ąā§ā§° āĻāϤā§āϏā§āϰāĻžā§ą āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧāϤ āĻ āύā§āώā§āĻ āĻŋāϤāĨ¤
- Shivratri / āĻļāĻŋā§ąā§°āĻžāϤā§ā§°āĻŋ – Dedicated to Lord Shiva; observed on Krishna Chaturdashi in Fagun month. / āĻļāĻŋā§ąāĻĻā§ā§ąā§° āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻĢāĻžāĻā§āύ āĻŽāĻžāĻšā§° āĻā§āώā§āĻŖ āĻāϤā§ā§°ā§āĻĻāĻļā§āϤ āĻĒāĻžāϞāύāĨ¤
- Doul Utsav / āĻĻā§āϞ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą – Festival of colors; celebrates Lord Krishna and Radha’s divine love; observed in Phalguna month. / ā§°āĻā§° āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻļā§ā§°ā§āĻā§āώā§āĻŖ āĻā§°ā§ ā§°āĻžāϧāĻžā§° āĻĻā§ā§ąāϤāĻžā§°āĻŋāĻ āĻĒā§ā§°ā§āĻŽā§° āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻĢāĻžāĻā§āύ āĻŽāĻžāĻšāϤ āĻĒāĻžāϞāύāĨ¤
- Chhath Puja / āĻ⤠āĻĒā§āĻāĻž – Dedicated to the Sun God; observed at river ghats across Assam. / āϏā§ā§°ā§āϝāĻĻā§ā§ąā§° āĻĒā§āĻāĻž; āĻ āϏāĻŽā§° āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻŋāύā§āύ āĻāĻžāĻāϤ āĻĒāĻžāϞāύāĨ¤
3. Social & Cultural Festivals / āϏāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻāĻŋāĻ āĻā§°ā§ āϏāĻžāĻāϏā§āĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą
- Majuli Raas Mahotsav / āĻŽāĻžāĻā§āϞ⧠⧰āĻžāϏ āĻŽāĻšā§ā§āĻ¸ā§ą – Majuli Island; celebrates life of Lord Krishna with dance and drama performances. / āĻŽāĻžāĻā§āϞ⧠āĻĻā§āĻŦā§āĻĒ; āύā§āϤā§āϝ āĻā§°ā§ āύāĻžāĻā§āϝ⧰ āϏā§āϤ⧠āĻļā§ā§°ā§āĻā§āώā§āĻŖā§° āĻā§ā§ąāύ⧰ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāĨ¤
- Dehing Patkai Festival / āĻĻā§āĻšāĻŋāĻ āĻĒāĻžāϤāĻāĻžāĻ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą – Promotes eco-tourism and adventure; showcases Assam’s cultural diversity. / āĻĒā§°ā§āϝāĻāύ āĻā§°ā§ āĻĻā§ā§°ā§āĻŦāϞ āĻ āĻāĻŋāϝāĻžāύ āĻā§āϏāĻžāĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻā§°ā§; āĻ āϏāĻŽā§° āϏāĻžāĻāϏā§āĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻ āĻŦā§āĻāĻŋāϤā§ā§°ā§āϝ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻĻā§°ā§āĻļāύāĨ¤
- Jonbeel Mela / āĻāύāĻŦā§āϞ āĻŽā§āϞāĻž – Tribal fair promoting social harmony; includes community feast and traditional barter system. / āĻāύāĻāĻžāϤāĻŋā§° āĻŽā§āϞāĻž; āϏāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻāĻŋāĻ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§ā§°ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāĻžā§°; āĻŦā§āĻšā§ āĻā§āĻ āĻā§°ā§ āĻĒā§°āĻŽā§āĻĒā§°āĻžāĻāϤ āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻžā§° āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāϏā§āĻĨāĻžāĨ¤
- Tea Festival / āĻāĻžāĻš āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą – Celebrates Assam’s tea heritage; tea tastings and tours of tea gardens. / āĻ āϏāĻŽā§° āĻāĻžāĻš āϏāĻāϏā§āĻā§āϤāĻŋā§° āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻāĻžāĻšā§° āϏā§āĻŦāĻžāĻĻ āϞā§ā§ąāĻž āĻā§°ā§ āĻāĻžāĻš āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻŋāĻāĻžā§° āĻā§ā§°āĻŽāĻŖāĨ¤
Exam Tips
- Bihu / āĻŦāĻŋāĻšā§ = Most important festival; three types mark agricultural calendar. / āĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤāĻā§ āĻā§ā§°ā§āϤā§āĻŦāĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ą; āĻā§āϤāĻŋ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧāĻāĻā§āϰ⧰ āĻāĻŋāĻšā§āύāĨ¤
- Ali-Aye-Ligang & Baishagu / āĻāϞāĻŋ-āĻ āϝāĻŧā§-āϞāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ āĻā§°ā§ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻžāĻā§ = Community-specific harvest festivals. / āĻāύāĻāĻžāϤāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻļā§āώ āĻā§āϤāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāĨ¤
- Ambubachi Mela & Shivratri / āĻ āĻŽā§āĻŦā§āĻŦāĻžāĻā§ āĻŽā§āϞāĻž āĻā§°ā§ āĻļāĻŋā§ąā§°āĻžāϤā§āϰāĻŋ = Religious festivals at temples. / āĻŽāύā§āĻĻāĻŋā§°āϤ āϧ⧰ā§āĻŽā§āϝāĻŧ āĻā§āĻ¸ā§ąāĨ¤
- Majuli Raas & Jonbeel Mela / āĻŽāĻžāĻā§āϞ⧠⧰āĻžāϏ āĻā§°ā§ āĻāύāĻŦā§āϞ āĻŽā§āϞāĻž = Cultural & social gatherings. / āϏāĻžāĻāϏā§āĻā§āϤāĻŋāĻ āĻā§°ā§ āϏāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻāĻŋāĻ āĻŽāĻŋāϞāύāĨ¤