Bihu performers pose with dhol and pepa. Photograph by Utpola Borah.

Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE).

Bihu dancers at the Bohag Bihu Rangali Utsav in Guwahati.

Photograph by Utpola Borah. Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE).

Bihu is a popular community festival of Assam. There are three types of Bihu - Bohag or Rongali Bihu, Kati or Kangali Bihu, and Magh or Bhogali Bihu. The Bohag marks the advent of the seed time, the Kati marks the completion of sowing, and Magh marks the gathering of harvest. Of these three, the Bohag Bihu, which is the spring festival representing youth and fertility, is the most prominent. The Bihu songs and dances are an integral part of the Bohag Bihu festival. The songs are antiphonal in character and the lyrics are romantic in nature.

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