Traditiol Bohuwa Bihu in Dibrugarh today

 BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

 GUWAHATI, April 30: Bohuwa Bihu, a traditiol Bihu festival of Sonowal Kachari community is going to be organized tomorrow at Dhamol Gaon village of Jamirah area around seven kilometers from Dibrugarh town.

 “The festival is organized on the tenth day of Assamese month Bohag. It is conducted after every two years. It is being celebrated like this since the time immemorial. Dressed like clowns, a group of six-seven people performed the Bohuwa dance, who play the role of Daksha, Dakshini and Bhoot-pret, which is based on the myth of lord Shiva and his father –in- law king Daksha,” said Mahanda Baglari, a resident of Dhamol village.

 “The festival Bohuwa bihu is a unique traditiol worship to deities by the people of Dhamol village since time immemorial. It is also specified that, the festival was origited in this village several decades back and performed by the people of the village only. The villagers worshiped in the deep jungle, in which no women and outsiders are allowed to join.

 The traditiol priest performed the prayer with those clowns and subsequently the clowns are brought to the public place in the village, where they perform the dance. For last many years, the festival has been organized by the Baglari family of the village and so the public dance is also organized in the courtyard of this family,” said Shankar Baglari, another villager and organizer of the festival.

 “There are some specific rules to perform the bihu and dance. The clowns have to wear a specific dress made of 120 pieces of ba leaf (bhim kol) and mask made of ‘gourd’. The people of the village only can prepare the dress,” he added.

 No written documents are available about the festival except a short note written by late Dr Girindra Mohan Baglari. Baglari in his note describes the story of lord Shiva and Sati with king Daksha.  “After Sati’s depart, lord Shiva cursed king Daksh and his wife Dakshini and exchanged their head with the heads of a goat. After that, lord Shiva instructed the man to conduct Bohag bihu on the first day of Bohag month and perform ‘ha sori’ till eight days and use bamboo in the performance. On the tenth day, there should be a bohuwa dance with the songs based on the story of Daksha and Dakshini and their wrong deed,” stated the note.

“After performing the dance, the clowns take bath in the nearest river and leave their dress in the river. People believe that the ritual brings peace and prosperity and welfare to the families of the society,’ said Shankar Baglari.