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Magh bihu festivity gathers momentum

GUWAHATI: Braving a pinching cold wave millions of people are soaked in the joy of Magh Bihu festivity with feasting and merry making on Saturday night.

People of all walks of life celebrated Uruka to be dominated with community feasting and bonfire on Saturday night a couple of hours before the Bihu where the folks are busy with preparing Meji, a wooden or bamboo structure to be lit up early in the morning to mark the puja offering to the fire god.

Apart from feasting and bon fire, people in the rural areas thronged the open fields to hold cultural function with folk songs in the open fire sides.

"Our pomp and gaiety has disallowed the cold wave to grip further. Whole night we are guarding the wooden meji which we are litting up tomorrow early morning," said Abinash Sarma, a local youth in a remote village in Dhemaji.

Arin Sarma, a villager in Khetri in the outskirt of Guwahati city said,"from this morning we enjoyed community fishing. Now fishing is over. It's feasting time by the fireside keeping aside all the hurdles and hi cups."

Women in the every house hold are heavily busy in preparing the traditional bihu sweets which include varieties of pastries, sweets and what not. "We have already prepared rice powder, beaten rice, soft rice to be served to our near and dear ones. Now let us prepare pastries with coconut powder, black seeds, molasses etc etc," said Lakhimi Das, a housewife in Gaurisagar area in Sivasagar district.

She said,"We already have our feast with meat, fish along with other vegetables under the make shift house (Bhela Ghar) which wax later lit up. That's the joy of our rural life amid the unending plethora of problems, pathos and bathos."

Now the stage is set to lit up the meji early in the morning to be followed by buffalo fight, bird fight along with many traditional games. Governor J Mukhi, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, former chief ministers Tarun Gogoi and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta have wished the people on the occasion.

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Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org

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