Assam gears up to celebrate Kati Bihu, the auspicious harvest festival observed on the first day of the Kati month in the Assamese calendar. This year it falls on October 18.
The festival marks the relocation of the rice crop and the beginning of the fresh harvest season. Kati Bihu is an observation of service, penance, and hope for a better future. The festival is celebrated across the state of Assam — although all Assamese tribes have their own rituals and interpretations of the day. Lamps are lit outside the homes, and a pathway of bamboo is constructed as a trail for the ancestors.
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Kati Bihu, also known as Kongali Bihu, is a unique festival observed in India’s North-Eastern state of Assam. It usually falls in the middle of October and is celebrated with a sombre flavour. There is less merriment amongst the observing folks as the festival is all about the constraining conditions of the month.
Despite being one of the grandest observations of the land, the spirit of the holiday is not joyous. Rather, the festival reflects on the year bygone. The month of October is the sowing season in Assam. The freshly sprouting paddy fields and the empty granaries are symbolic of the ‘Kangal’ — which translates to ‘broke.’
Kati Bihu is one of the three most significant festivals of the Assamese people — including Bhogali Bihu and Rongali Bihu. Goddess Laxmi, who is worshipped as the distributor of wealth to mortal souls, is worshipped and welcomed into homes on the day. Outside their homes, people light earthen lamps under the Tulsi plant.
The tradition of burning the lamps dates back to ancient celebrations when the lanterns on the paddy field attracted insects and served as a natural insecticide. To guide the ancestor’s home, traditional lamps, ‘saaki,’ are placed on the tops of bamboo sticks. Offerings are made in every family, followed by the lighting of more earthen lanterns in the granaries, gardens, and paddy fields, as well as prayers for a bountiful harvest.
These lamps, paired with the whirling of bamboo sticks while reciting rowa khowa chants, are thought to keep pests and evil eyes away from the crops, resulting in a rich harvest.
Kati Bihu is celebrated with great sincerity by the entire state. It is one of the few unique festivals of India which surpasses religion, social status, and caste, as people from all walks of life come together and observe the solemnity of their conditions.
The day is the perfect homage to the laws of nature. From nourishing food to healing sunlight, nature gives us all. The harvest cycle depends on the turns of the season and with Kati Bihu, we honour the fall that allows us to sow the seeds. So that, come spring, we may bear the fruits.
