Bihu Bihu is one of the spring festivals, celebrated in Assam. The others are: The Bohaag Bihu celebrated in Baisakh, Kaati Bihu celebrated in Kartik, and the Maagh Bihu celebrated in Maagh. They derive their name from the Sanskrit word for vernal equinox. It is originally a fertility ritual. These festivals represent the arrival of seeding time, the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies and the end of the harvesting...

Basant Panchami According to the Hindu calendar, the fifth day of the Magha sukla Paksha is celebrated as Basant Panchami. On this day, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped. According to the legend, the creator Lord Brahma reviewed his creation, the Earth. Struck by the sadness prevalent in the atmosphere, Brahma wanted to change the haunting gloom. Taking some water from his Kamandal, he sprinkled it on all the trees and with a...

Barah Wafat (Id-ul-Milad) Barah Wafat, also known as Id-ul-Milad, is a festival of Muslims. It is held to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed on the 12th day of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the 4th month of the Islamic calendar. The Prophet’s death anniversary also falls on the same day. The word `barah’stands for the twelve days of his sickness. During these days, sermons are delivered in mosques by learned men on the Prophet’s...

Amarnath Yatra Each year in the month of Shravan, thousands of pilgrims make an arduous trek up to the Amarnath cave. They come to worship the sacred ice `lingam’- a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva, which is a natural phenomenon. The cave is situated at a height of 3,888 m in the Himalayas. The Amarnath Yatra started in 1850. Devotees believe that one can achieve salvation by witnessing ‘Shiv Lingam.’ It...