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Magh Bihu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Meji)

Magh Bihu
Asian water buffalo fight held at Nagaon District of Assam, on the occasion of Magh Bihu
Official nameBhogali Bihu
Also calledMaghar Domahi, Magh Bihu
Observed byPeople of Assam and other North eastern states
CelebrationsMeji, Bhela Ghor
Begins14 January
Ends15 January
Date13,14 and 15 January
Duration2 days
FrequencyAnnual

Magh Bihu (also called Bhogali Bihu (of eating Bhog i.e. enjoyment) or Maghar Domahi is a harvest festival celebrated in Assam, North-East India, which marks the end of harvesting season in the month of Magh (January–February).[1] A bonfire (Meji) is lit for the ceremonial conclusion and prayer to the God of Fire.[2] Part of the Bihu cultural festival in Assam, Magh Bihu was developed by the Tibeto-Burman cultures of Kachari.[3]

Overview (Rituals)

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Fishing during Magh Bihu

The festival is marked by feasts and bonfires.[4] Young people erect makeshift huts, known as Meji and Bhelaghar, from bamboo, leaves and thatch, and in Bhelaghar they eat the food prepared for the feast, and then burn the huts the next morning.[5] The celebrations also feature traditional Assamese games such as ‘’tekeli bhonga’’ (pot-breaking) and buffalo fighting.[6] Magh Bihu celebrations start on the last day of the previous month, the month of "Pooh", usually the 29th of Pooh is 14 January, and is the only day of Magh Bihu in modern times (earlier, the festival would last for the whole month of Magh, and so the name Magh Bihu).[7] The night before is "Uruka" (28th of Pooh), when people gather around a bonfire, cook dinner, and make merry.

During Magh Bihu, people of Assam make rice cakes with various names such as Sunga Pitha, Til Pitha etc. and some other sweets of coconut called Laru.

Uruka or Bihu Eve (Beginning)

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Group fishing In Magh Bihu Uruka.

The first day of Magh Bihu is known as Uruka or the Bihu Eve.[3] The word Uruka is originally derived from the Deori-Chutia word Urukuwa which means "to end", signifying the end of the harvesting season as well the Pausha month.[8] On this day, women folk get ready for the next day with food items like- Chira, Pitha, Laru, Curd. A feast is organised at night known as Bhuj. Various indigenous communities prepare rice beer, which is usually not distilled. This is known as Chuji by the Chutias, Nam-Lao by Tai-Ahom, Zou by Bodos, and Aapong by the Mising. Uruka feasting may be a family affair or communal. After the feasting, the Uruka is over.[3] Hut-like structures called Bhelaghar are also built in the fields where people stay during the night.[3] More often village youth pass the night in the Bhelaghars warming themselves by the fire and making use of the vegetables that they steal from the backyards of villagers which is considered a tradition.[3]

Day of Magh Bihu (celebration)

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The day of the Bihu starts early dawn by a post-harvesting ceremony called "Meji". In this, bonfires are burned in the fields, and people pray to their ancestral gods for blessings.[3][9]

There are two views regarding the origin of the word Meji. Some scholars believe that it is derived from the Proto-Sino-tibetan word for “Fire”, Meij(མེ in Tibetan, မီး in Burmese). The Tibetan expression mei shing (མེ་ཤིང་) means "firewood", combining mei (“fire”) with shing (“wood”).[10] The latter is comparable with Proto-Tibeto-Burman *si(ŋ/k), reconstructed with the meanings “tree, wood, firewood”.[11][12]. Others believe that the root of the word is the Deori-Chutia word Midi-ye-ji where "Midi" denotes "Ancestral gods", "Ye" means "Fire” and "Ji" means "Fly away" (signifying the worship of ancestral spirits which fly away with the fire).[13]

A Deori legend concerning the origin of the Meji is recorded by Saranan Deori. According to the tradition, at the beginning of creation, Kundimama, described as the primordial father and mother, wished to expand the created world and summoned the deities who had originated from their divine power. At the auspicious dawn of the sun's northward journey, the primordial father instructed the deities to bathe in a river together with Prakriti. While they were bathing, they saw a corpse floating down the river. The deities withdrew in fear, but Prakriti embraced the body and brought it ashore. They were then told that the body was that of the primordial father, who had sacrificed himself for the welfare of the world. The deities constructed a funeral pyre and cremated him, after which they bathed again and returned home after anointing themselves with the ashes of the pyre.[14] Within this tradition, the Meji is regarded as the funeral fire of the primordial father and as a commemoration of the beginning of creation. The account specifically distinguishes the rite from fire worship, and associates the annual burning of the Meji with the time of the sun's northward journey.[14]

The bonfires are usually made with firewood, green bamboo, hay and dried Banana leaves. People take a bath before setting up the bonfire, as a tradition. The ritual of Meji Jwaluwa (Firing the Meji) is very enjoyable. Worshipping the Bhoral and Meji is done by offering Rice cakes, Rice beers, Chira, Pitha, Akhoi, Horoom, Curd, and other eatables. At the end, the Bhelaghar is also burned, and people consume a special preparation known as Mah-Karai,[3] which is a roasted mixture of rice and black gram. In the breakfast and lunch, people consume various traditional dishes like various Fish, Duck, Chicken and Mutton curries along with rice, ‘tenga’, ‘aloo pitika’ and ‘doi sira’.[15] The ashes of the bonfire Meji and Bhelaghar are used in the trees and crops to increase the fertility of the gardens or fields.[3] On the seventh day of Magh Bihu, Bodos clean utensils and sacrifice fowls to Bathou, their God and go out carol singing, collecting food. They set up Bhelaghars and burn them in the morning.[3]

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Many related festivals can be seen Assam and Arunachal. In the Full moon day of Magh month, the Khamti people observe a similar Bonfire tradition related to Buddha. Given the fact that no other Tai group follows such ritual, it can be concluded it would be better that the Khamtis merely adopted the ritual from the locals in the 18th century which was later developed into a Buddhist rite, similar to the Kechai-khati worship organised on the same day.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Celebrating Nature's Bounty - Magh Bihu". EF News International. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  2. ↑ Sharma, S. P.; Seema Gupta (2006). Fairs & Festivals Of India. Pustak Mahal. p. 25. ISBN 978-81-223-0951-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Goswami, Praphulladatta (1995). Festivals of Assam. Anundoram Borooah Institute of Language, Art, and Culture, 1995.
  4. ↑ The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21. 1987. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-85229-571-7.
  5. ↑ "Bihu being celebrated with joy across Assam". The Hindu. 14 January 2005. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "Bonfire, feast & lots more - Jorhat celebrations promise traditional joy this Magh Bihu". The Telegraph. 12 January 2008. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  7. ↑ "Assamese calendar". Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Deori, Kishor. K. Chupere-mago. 1997, p. 46.
  9. ↑ Gogoi, Ranjit, Cultural Heritage of Assam: Janasanyog, Assam, 2008
  10. ↑ "མེ་ཤིང་ (me shing)". Tibetan-English Dictionary. Retrieved 2 July 2026. me shing: firewood
  11. ↑ Matisoff, James A. (2003). Handbook of Proto-Tibeto-Burman: System and Philosophy of Sino-Tibetan Reconstruction. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-09843-5. Proto-Tibeto-Burman *si(ŋ/k): "tree / wood / firewood".
  12. ↑ Matisoff, James A. (2015). "Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus" (PDF). University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2 July 2026. Etymon no. 2658, Proto-Tibeto-Burman *si(ŋ/k): "tree / wood / firewood".
  13. ↑ Brown, W.An outline grammar of the Deori Chutia language. 1895, p. 73.
  14. 1 2 Deori, Saranan (2010). Dibangar Pora Luituloi: A Collection of Deori Folk Tales (in Assamese). Guwahati: Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and Scheduled Castes. pp. 29–30. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "The aroma of home Bihu feast". 14 January 2017.
  16. ↑ Worship of Kechai-khati which takes place on the same day by Khamtis
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