Rongali Bihu fervour grips Assam, people throng markets to shop ahead of festival

Guwahati (Assam) [India], April (11): Rongali Bihu fervour has gripped Guwahati and other parts of Assam to celebrate the biggest festival of the state, marking the Assamese New Year.
People have thronged to the markets in Guwahati to buy 'Gamosa', various dishes including 'Pitha' (rice cake), fresh cream, thick creamy curd, golden honey, different types of laddus made from coconut, jaggery, sesame seedsand rice flour, etc.

Rongali Bihu, also known as Bohag Bihu is celebrated annually in the second week of April across the state with joy and fervour.
The people of the state are set to celebrate Uruka, the night before Rongali Bihu.
The week-long Bihu celebrations in Assam start with Goru Bihu, the day of Sankranti dedicated to livestock.
On the first day of Rongali Bihu, the cattle are washed and smeared with a paste of fresh turmeric, black lentil, etc., while people sing to them - "Lao kha, bengena kha, bosore bosore barhi ja, maar xoru, baper xoru, toi hobi bor bor goru (Eat gourd, eat brinjal, grow from year to year, your mother is small, your father is small, but you be a large one)", and then the people also worship the cattle.

Preparations to celebrate the biggest festival of Assam are in full swing.
Many Bihu organising committees have organised Bihu dance workshops in different parts of Guwahati.
Pub-Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan has organised a Bihu dance workshop at Chandmari field in Guwahati, where more than 700 students have participated.
Simanta Thakuria, General Secretary of Pub-Guwahati Bihu, while speaking to ANI, said, "This year, Pub-Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan has entered 63 years and we are trying to teach our culture to the new generation. We have organised this Bihu dance workshop. This is a 10-day workshop and it will continue till April 11. Along with students, many guardians also participated in this workshop. As of now, more than 700 students have participated in the workshop".
The Bihu dance workshop started on April 2.
Rongali Bihu is a multi-day festival that typically spans seven days, each day known as 'Xaat Bihu.' The celebration involves various cultural activities, traditional rituals, and feasting. (ANI)