[5] The festivals present an admixture of Tibeto-Birman, Austroasiatic and Indo-Aryan traditions entwined so intricately that it is impossible to separate them[6]—festivals which are uniquely Assamese to which all communities of Assam had contributed elements.

Some hang brass, copper or silver pots on poles in front of their house, while children wear flower garlands then greet the new year as they pass through the rural streets.

[12] The three Bihu are Assamese festivals[12] elders in family, fertility and mother goddess, but the celebrations and rituals reflect influences from Southeast Asia and Sino-Tibetan cultures.

[22] In local folklore, it is said that Bordoisila (Bardai Sikhla in Bodo) (meaning north-westerly winds in Assamese) was the daughter of God Earth who married to a bridegroom of some distant land.

There is even a dance with the same name performed among Boro people during Baisagu which points to the origin of Bihu in the Bodo-Kachari groups.

In early texts, Bohag Bihu celebrations started from the first week of Chot in Assamese month.

The temple dancers Deodhani danced the entire night and were believed to be possessed by the goddess Kechai-khati (kolimoti), signaling that she had descended upon earth from heaven (Bihu nomai ona).

During the night of Goru-bihu, people danced Bihu in separate groups in the Thans where animal sacrifice took place.

This old tradition of starting Husori from the temple is still followed by the Deoris, some Sonowals, Chutias and Morans as well as the people of Sadiya.

[24] The festivities of Bohag Bihu continued for a week and ended with the rite by which the goddess was bid farewell.

“Hasoti e chot Bisoti e chot.Budhe Goru Bihu Mangale Uruka.Bihu goi asili kot.”“Boge dhari khale luitor hihu,Mangal bare Uruka Budh bare Goru Bihu Tar pasor dina Manisor Bihu.”“Husori e chot asili kot.Sadiyar ahotor tolot,Husori e chot asili kot.Ami je ulomu jot Dubori nogoje tot.”“Kundilor agolit ukhokoi Himolu.Tate loi kuruwai bah.Sadiyar rajate sari haal goxani Taloi namaskar koru.Hunare jakhala Rupor hetamari Ahe sari haali nami.”The modern form of Bihu dance was derived from the Faat Bihu dance celebrated in Dhakuakhana, Lakhimpur.

The performers were called by the Ahom king Rudra Singha in 1694 to dance in the royal arena Rang Ghar.

Later, in the 19th century, this form of Bihu dance was adopted by the other communities as well and started being performed in Mahguli sapori, Dhakuakhana by Chutias, Sonowals, Deoris, Ahoms, Mishing etc.

[27] The Indo-Aryans upon their arrival in Assam helped in gradually sanskritisation of the native Bihu/Bisu to bring it to the present form.

This marks the first day of the Hindu solar calendar and is also observed in Bengal, Manipur, Mithila, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu though called by different names.

The cattle are washed, smeared with ground turmeric and other pastes, struck with sprigs of dighalati and makhiyati and endeared to be healthy and productive (lao kha, bengena kha, bosore bosore barhi ja / maar xoru, baper xoru, toi hobi bor bor goru—eat gourd, eat brinjal, grow from year to year / your mother is small, your father is small, but you be a large one).

Elders are shown respect, with gifts of bihuwan (a gamosa), a hachoti (kerchief), a cheleng etc., and their blessings are sought.

Children are given new clothes, and Husori singing begins on this day, and people visit their relatives and friends.

It possibly derives from the Dimasa Kachari word formation ha (land) and char (move over): hachari.

The husari singers then visit individual households, by first announcing their arrival at the gate (podulimukh) with drum beats.

At the end of the performance they are thanked with an offering dakshina of paan (betel leaf) tamul (areka nut) in a xorai (brass dish with stand), whereupon the singers bless the household for the coming year.

Unlike the rural version, the dancers danced on a makeshift elevated stage in an open area that came to be known as a Bihutoli.

Kongali Bihu (mid-October, also called Kati-Bihu) has a different flavor as there is less merriment and the atmosphere has a sense of constraining and solemnity.

On this day, earthen lamps (saki) are lit at the foot of the household tulsi plant, the granary, the garden (bari) and the paddy fields.

In ancient times, earthen lamps were lit all around the paddy fields to attract the insects, thus acting as a natural insecticide.

To protect the maturing paddy, cultivators whirl a piece of bamboo and recite rowa-khowa chants and spells to ward off pests and the evil eye.

This Bihu is also associated with the lighting of akaxi gonga or akaxbonti, lamps at the tip of a tall bamboo pole, to show the souls of the dead the way to heaven, a practice that is common to many communities in India, as well as Asia and Europe.

The entire night (called Uruka) is spent around a Meji with people singing bihu songs, beating Dhol, a typical kind of drums or playing games.

People gather around the Meji and throw Pithas (rice cakes) and betel nuts to it while burning it at the same time.

Thereafter they come back home carrying pieces of half burnt firewood for being thrown among fruit trees for favorable results.