The Year That Begins With Washing the Cattle

Bohag Bihu, also called Rongali Bihu, marks the start of the Assamese New Year each April. Its roots reach back well before any single written record, into Assam's own native peoples, whose customs blend Tibeto-Burman and Tai parts together. Historians trace the festival's earliest layers to the Bodo-Kachari peoples. They are among the oldest inhabitants of the Brahmaputra Valley. Their own seasonal rites shaped much of what Bohag Bihu would become.

The word Bihu itself is thought to come from the Dimasa Kachari language. It carries a meaning close to great joy. This is a fitting name for a festival built around welcoming spring, and the fresh farming year that comes with it. This word comes from a tribal tongue, not from Sanskrit or any classical text. It marks Bohag Bihu as truly apart from many festivals set down in the Puranas.