About Bihu
Rongali (spring) Bihu falls in mid-April. Three Bihu festivals through the year mark agricultural cycles. Bohag Bihu is the most prominent — Assamese new year.
Significance
Rongali (Bohag) Bihu marks the Assamese new year and the start of the agricultural sowing season, celebrated with music, dance, and community feasting.
History & story
Bihu likely predates organized religion in the region, rooted in ancient agrarian fertility rites; the Bihu dance and Husori community singing trace to indigenous Assamese folk traditions later woven into the broader festival calendar.
Muhurat (2026)
Morning of Bohag Bihu.
Rituals & observances
- ◆Bihu dance
- ◆Pitha (rice cakes)
- ◆Cattle bathing
- ◆Husori community singing
Regional variations
Assam.
Bihu — every year
The date shifts each year on the Gregorian calendar because it follows the Hindu lunar-solar cycle.
Frequently asked questions
How many Bihu festivals are there in a year?
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Three — Bohag (Rongali) Bihu in April marking the new year and sowing, Kati (Kongali) Bihu in October during a lean agricultural period, and Magh (Bhogali) Bihu in January celebrating harvest.
What is the Bihu dance?
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A vigorous folk dance performed by young men and women in colorful traditional attire, accompanied by drums (dhol), pipes (pepa), and buffalo horns.
What food is associated with Bihu?
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Pitha (rice cakes) and laru (coconut or til sweets), prepared and shared among family and neighbors.