Kongali Bihu

Bihu is one of the main festivals celebrated by the people living in Assam and they do it with pomp and show. The word Bihu is derived from the word Vishu which is a distorted version of the name of Lord Vishnu. Bihu is celebrated thrice a year, each time to mark a different stage in the life cycle of the paddy crop. Based on the time of the year these are celebrated, they have different themes behind the celebrations. The three Bihus which are celebrated in this state are Bhogali Bihu, Kongali Bihu and Rongali Bihu. While Rongali Bihu celebrates the sowing of the paddy seeds, Kongali Bihu celebrates relocation of the paddy saplings and Bhogali Bihu is celebrated during the harvest season. Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is rather less of a celebration than other Bihus.

Kongali Bihu is celebrated during the Kati month of the Assamese calendar, which basically signifies the season in the life of the paddy crop when small saplings grow out of the water logged fields. At this time of the year the granaries are empty and the peasants are rather poor, perhaps that's the reason behind this Bihu being called Kongali Bihu - Bihu of poverty. During this Bihu, the cultivators work day and night to get a good yield of crop and on its eve a Saaki is prepared, which is a lamp. The reason the lamp is lit is because it attracts the pests from the crop towards it and they are burnt because of its flames. At the paddy field too a special kind of lamp is lit which is called Akaxbonti and peasants pray to their gods for a good yield of crops.

Kongali Bihu Activities
Kongali Bihu or Kati Bihu falls right in the middle, when sowing of crops and fertilization process has been taken care of and the harvest season is yet to announce itself. On one hand, Rongali Bihu and Bhogali Bihu are celebrated to mark the arrival and end of the harvest season respectively. Kongali Bihu on the other hand

Kongali Bihu Date
Bihu is the biggest festival celebrated in the state of Assam and easily one of the most colorful festivals of India which is celebrated with great fervor and zeal. This festival depends upon the crop cycle of paddy in Assam. Bihu is divided into three broad types depending on the time of the year during which it is celebrated and these three types

Kongali Bihu Significance
Bihus, the major festivals of Assam, are celebrated with great jest and zeal and the spirit of the people is at an all time high with the whole state coming together to make merry. It is a unique festival because it surpasses the barriers of caste, religion and class and people from all strata of life gather together to celebrate this colorful event. There are three types of Bihu which take place in Assam, namely, Bhogali Bihu,