With heaps of festive delicacies, Uruka arrives today
News Desk, Assam Barta, 12 January:
The air is filled with the spirit of Bhogali as Assamese households gear up to welcome the Bihu festival with great enthusiasm. Every Assamese family, both in villages and towns, is busy preparing for Bapati Sahon Bihu. Mothers and daughters-in-law are engrossed in making various types of pithas and traditional snacks. In the fields, velaghor (temporary huts) and meji (bonfire stacks) are ready. The rhythmic sound of the dheki (traditional rice-husking pedal) echoes through the countryside. The entire state is glowing with tradition and heritage.
This is Bhogali — this is the festive abundance of Bhogali.
On the eve of Uruka, villages and towns alike are eagerly preparing grand feasts. People are excited to enjoy duck, goat, chicken, and a variety of local fish along with traditional delicacies. As a result, markets across Assam are overflowing with crowds purchasing ingredients for the Bhogali feast.
The Bhogali markets have become vibrant festive hubs. Especially in Guwahati and various other parts of the state, markets are flooded with traditional Assamese food items — pithas, curd (doi), jaggery (gur), and many other local specialties.
Even urban Assamese families are stepping out to markets to preserve tradition. The air is fragrant with the aroma of ladoo-pitha, komal chaul (soft rice), joha rice, chira (flattened rice), sandah gur, malbhog chira, joha-bora chira, bakul-bora chira, mahkarai, bora bhaja, adhai chaul bhaja, chokowa chaul, jeng pitha, pani tenga kharli, juliya mithai, gur, and doi.
Bhogali melas (fairs) organized in different parts of Guwahati have also become major attractions for customers. Enthusiastic people are thronging these melas to buy pithas and other items for Magh Bihu.
Self-help groups and commercial establishments across the state are bringing a wide range of traditional food items to the market. Even the footpaths of Guwahati are not lagging behind — in areas like Ganeshguri, Khanapara, Ulubari, Noonmati, Six Mile, Ambari, and others, vendors have set up stalls full of Bhogali items.
Various delicacies are being brought to Guwahati from different parts of Assam:
- Gur (jaggery) from Nagaon and Dergaon
- Dheki-prepared chira and hukum from Tipam
- Juliya mithai from Mangaldai
- Cow and buffalo curd from Ramdia and Sarbhog
- Coconut from Gohpur
- Black gram, sesame, and bora rice from Barpeta
- Komal chaul from Jamuguri
Additionally, packaged pithas, ladoos, and chira prepared by various industries in Hengerabari and other parts of Guwahati are also selling briskly.
Even meji made of paddy straw and bamboo are being sold on Guwahati’s footpaths.
Though there has been some price increase in Bhogali items, which has slightly troubled customers, the Bihu-loving Assamese people show no sign of stinginess when it comes to welcoming the great Bapati Sahon Bihu.
Overall, people in urban areas are enthusiastically collecting ingredients from markets to preserve tradition and prepare for the grand Uruka feast.
Vendors are fully ready to supply duck, pigeon, chicken, goat meat, and a variety of fish — rou, bhakua, chital, ari, and others — on Uruka night.
Fish markets are expected to be overflowing with bou, ari, chital, and many other local varieties.
Let the spirit of Bhogali Bihu fill every Assamese home with joy, feasting, and togetherness! 🌾🔥🐟🥟
