JOIN US While the rest of the nation celebrated Makar Sankranti on Friday, Assam marked its harvest festival of Bhogali with the grand family feast of Uruka on Thursday.
People bathed and offered prayers to the sun god on Friday morning and warmed themselves by burning meji, though the traditional bulbul fight was absent in lower Assam’s hajo following a Guwahati High Court ban.
Assam celebrates three Bihu festivals a year. While Bhogali is celebrated in January, Rongali and Kangali falls in April and October respectively.
People across the state danced and exchanged local sweet called Pithas. The most famous is the Aroiya Pitha prepared with sticky rice, grated coconut and sugar or Gur.
Traditional sporting events like bamboo poll walking and bamboo poll climbing were organised, though festivities this year were lacklustre due to the Guwahati High Court’s ban on bulbul fight that used to attract large number of people from across the state to Hajo, 40 km from Guwahati.
Hearing a petition by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the high court had reversed its earlier order allowing the bulbul fight at Shri Hayariba Madhav Temple on January 12.