Magh Bihu or Maghar Domahi by Dr. Praphulladatta Goswami
1.
The Uruka happens to be an important aspect of Magh Bihu. Give an
elaborate account of the celebrations associated with Uruka. HS-2022
Ans:-
Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu is a community festival celebrated by the
people of Assam. It is celebrated in the middle of January when people
finish gathering harvest and food grains become abundant to make various
delicious food items. Community feasts are an indispensable part of
Uruka, which is the night before Magh Bihu. Bamboo huts known as
Bhelaghors, are built to serve community feasts. It is customary to
prepare various dishes, vegetables, meat items and sweets such as Pitha,
Laru, mah-karai, takeli pitha, sunga pitha, sunga saul, borarice, fried
Pithas, out of sesame, molasses and coconut.Next day, a large bonfire
called Meji is lighted and the sacred fire is worshipped with offerings
of food. Thereafter people eat traditional Jolpan at breakfast. Games
having an indigenous origin, such as wrestling, racing, jumping, buffalo
fighting, Egg fighting are arranged on the occasion.People indulge in
fishing in the large wetlands .The festival comes to an end with the
burning of Bhelaghars. In other parts of India this festival is observed
as Makar Sankranti, or the transit of the sun towards the Tropic of
Cancer.This festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of longer
days.
2. Give a elaborate account of the celebrations associated with Uruka.
(OR)
“Uruka feasting may be a family affair or communal .” Justify the
relevance of this above statement with a detailed account of the customs
observed during Uruka .
(OR) The Uruka happens to be an important
aspect of Magh Bihu . Give a elaborate account of the celebrations
associated with Uruka?
(OR) How is the uruka celebrated?
Ans-The
celebrations and preparations associated with Uruka are familial and
communal .Uruka is the night before the Magh bihu. It is the previous
day of every bihu. It is also the junction of two months in the Assamese
calendar. This is the much-awaited day when the women folk consider it
their pious duty to get ready for the next day with chira, pitha, laru,
curd, etc. The entire day is whole-heartedly spent on collecting
firewood, gathering fish and meat for the feast at night. In tribal
surrounding women prepare rice beer.
The making of Bhelaghars on the
auspicious occasion of Magh Bihu is no less significant than the other
preparations. Sometimes cowherd pass the night in a Bhelaghar warming
themselves by a fire and making use of the vegetable that they steal
from the villagers gardens and the eatables that are given them .
Thus, Uruka is celebrated with great fun and merriment in upper Assam and lower Assam.
3. Give an account of the various food items prepared and eaten during the festival of Magh Bihu.
(OR)
Food is an integral aspect of the celebration of Magh Bihu. Describe
the importance of food in relation to the festivity of Magh Bihu.
Ans:-
Food is the most significant component of Magh Bihu and Uruka. The
womenfolk make week long preparations for the Magh Bihu with chira,
pitha, laru, curd and so on. The daytime of the Uruka is spent in
gathering firewood and collecting fish and meat.Very often fishing is
collectively done in ponds and streams for feasting. The tribal women
prepare rice beer .On the night of the Uruka, community feasts are
arranged in the Bhelaghar with celebrations and merrymaking.
As a
custom people abstain from eating rice and curry at lunch, on the day of
the day of the Magh Bihu.Instead they eat chira pitha, curd, and so on .
Some special preparation like mah – karai (mah – kare ), tekeli –
pitha, sunga – pitha, milk and molasses(gur)occupy a very important
place in the breakfast. The dinner of the Magh Bihu consists of rice,
curry of black gram, fried yam etc.
Thus, the various food items are prepared during the festival of uruka or magh bihu.
4. Describe the manner in which the Kacharis celebrate their festival during the time of Assamese Magh Bihu .
(OR) How do the kacharis celebrate the magh bihu or uruka?
(OR) How do the Kacharis observe the ritual of Magh Bihu? HS-2024
(OR) How do the kacharis consider the Bhela – ghars?
(OR)
What is the prayer of kacharis during the time of setting fire. Why
does it pray or what is the theme or reason of the prayer.
Ans:-
The Kacharis are one of those communities of Assam, that celebrates the
Magh Bihu in their unique traditional way, with fun, merriment and
spirituality. 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 .On the auspicious day of Domahi,
they put a mark of water mixed with cowdung around their granary. On the
seventh day of Magh Bihu (sixth Magh ) they again clean the utensils,
sacrifice fowls to Bathou, their god and go out singing and collecting
eatables . In their tradition it is a custom of begging or magan.
According to the tradition of the Kacharis, the special privilege of
making Bhelaghars and setting fire to them, entirely rests on the
cowherd boys. Before the dawn, the boys burn the Bhelaghars, praying to
the Almighty for affluence and glory of their village. This prayer is
meant for warding off diseases and misfortune to their village and
increasing the productivity of their crops and livestock.
Thus, the kacharis celebrate the magh bihu or uruka.
4. What does Magh Bihu mark?
Ans:-
Magh Bihu or Bhgali Bihu is a post harvesting community festival of
Assam having some religious significance. It marks the end of winter and
signals the arrival of Summer. It is observed on the first day of Magh
month, which is considered to be auspicious.
5. Which state celebrates the festival Uruka?
Ans:-
The festival of Uruka which is dedicated to Lord Agni, is celebrated in
Assam. It is celebrated in the middle of January every year at the
night before Magh Bihu.
6. What are Mejis made up of?
(OR) How is the Meji made? HS-2023
Ans:-
Mejis are made of raw firewood, hay, dry grass and leaves which is lit
up by the eldest member of the family. Different kinds of food items
like coconut and betel nut are offered to meji before it is set on fire.
7. What type of games are observed during Magh Bihu?
Ans:-
Games having an indigenous origin, such as wrestling, racing, jumping,
buffalo fighting, Egg fighting are the parts of the celebrations,
Collective fishing by the people in the large wetlands is also seen in
many places. Formerly martial games, like swordplay and javelin throwing
were also in existence.
8. What are the various foods prepared in Magh Bihu?
Ans:-
Preparation and consumption of traditional food items like chira,
pitha, laru, curd etc are an indispensable part of Bhogali or Magh
Bihu.People abstain from eating rice and curry at lunch on this day.
These are replaced by oily food items such as mah-karai, takeli pitha,
sunga pitha, sunga saul, borarice, fried Pithas. The Tribal people
indulge in brewing rice bear.
9. How do the women folk prepare for the celebration of Uruka?
(OR) How do the women folk get ready for the bihu in the day of Uruka?
Ans:-
On the day of “Uruka”, the women folk get ready for the next day with
chira, pitha, laru, curd, tekeli pitha, sunga pitha, laru and so on. A
lion's share of the daytime is spent on gathering raw firewood and
collecting fish or meat for the community or familial feast.
10. What is the importance of the Meji and Bhelaghar built for Magh Bihu?
Ans:-
The Meji and Bhelaghar is considered to be an auspicious part of the
Magh Bihu. It is the most special for the cowherds who pass the night in
a Bhelaghar warming themselves by a fire and making use of the
vegetables donated by people.
On the day of Magh Bihu, the male-folk
and the children go to the Mejis after taking bath and make sacred
offerings of eatables to Agni, the god of fire.
11. Why does the author believe that the fire rituals associated with Magh Bihu have an Indo-European origin?
Ans:-
On the day of the Magh Bihu, the people set fire to the Bhelaghar and
Meji uttering prayers to God. The red flames warm the people so long
shivering in cold.The half-burnt sticks of the Bhelaghar and Meji are
scattered in the fields and the pieces are thrown near the fruit bearing
trees in the belief that it will increase the fertility of fields and
gardens.The Europeans also perform the fire rituals by lighting lentern
and Midsummer fire in the belief of the efficacy of ashes and embers as a
means of fertility.
So, the author believes that the fire rituals associated with Magh Bihu have an Indo-European origin
12. How can we assume the influence of vaishnavism in the celebration of Magh Bihu?
(Or) How do the vaishnavism influence in the aspect of the festival magh bihu?
Ans:-On
the day of the Magh Bihu,people sit to the accompaniment of kettledrums
and large cymbals and hold a session of hymn-singing. The custom of
holding nam-prasanga or hymn-singing is a noted feature of the
auspicious day .This is where the influence of Vaishnavism is
prominently seen.
13. How is the delicacy Sunga Pitha prepared?
Ans-
Sunga Pitha is prepared using only "Bora" rice. Bora rice is soaked in
water for 2-3 hours. Then it is mixed with molasses and put in a bamboo
tube such a way that the tube will be half filled with this soaked Bora
rice. Thereafter plantain leaves are wound around these bamboo tubes and
put on fire in moderate heat.
14. How is the delicacy sunga saul prepared?
Ans:-
Sunga Saul is the sticky Bora rice steamed in a bamboo tube.The sticky
roll is made into pieces and eaten in a mixture of molasses and milk.
15. How is the Kati Bihu celebrated?
Ans:-
Kati Bihu is not celebrated with fun and merriment. It is observed in
autumn at the courtyards of families. A small earthen lamp with mustard
oil is put at the foot of the sacred Tulsi plant and women and children
sing prayer song.
16. What does the ploughman do for the protection of his crops?
Ans:-
The ploughman is traditionally associated with certain rules for
protection and nourishment of his crop.Planting a small bamboo plant,he
lights an earthen lamp at its foot . He chants certain mantras to
protect the maturing paddy from pests.
17. How does the Kacharis celebrate the kati Bihu?
Ans:-
The kacharis put lamps at the foot of the Siju cactus, symbol of their
chief god Bathou, in the garden, at the granary and in the field . In
this way the Kacharis celebrates the kati Bihu.
18. What is the significance of Uruka? HS-2023
Ans:- Ubruka is the bihueve. On this day all the women of the household makes pitha, laru, curd etc. They also collect fire woods, catch fish from the pond and also get meat for feasting.
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