Which of the following is a festival of merriment and heralds the Assamese New Year and the onset of spring?

The correct answer is Bohag Bihu.

Key Points

• The Bohag Bihu, also known as the Rongali Bihu, is a joyous festival that marks the start of spring and the Assamese New Year.
• Assam celebrates Bihu, Baishagu, Ali-Ai-Ligang, Baikho, Rongker, and Rajini Gabra as its important holidays. Bohaggiyo Bishu, Jonbill Mela, Ambubashi Mela, and others include Harni Gabra.
• The most well-known Bihu, Bohag Bihu (mid-April; also known as Rongali Bihu), marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year (about 14–15 April) and the arrival of spring.
• On April 14th of every year, the Indian state of Assam observes a regional public holiday known as Bohag Bihu.
• Depending on the day of the week it falls on, a number of days of public holidays may be announced, and occasionally it is also a public holiday in the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• This national holiday, also known as Rongali Bihu, is celebrated in Assam, one of India's most picturesque states noted for its tea gardens, verdant forests, and the Brahmaputra River.

Additional Information

• "Garu Bihu" is the name given to the first day of the Bihu.
• On this day, folks bathe and pray for the health and safety of their home cattle while they take them to the river for a bath.
• People take a turmeric-based bath on "Manuh Bihu," the second day of Bihu.
• Families eat a variety of larus or laddus and pithas, or rice cakes.
• People visit neighbours and family members during Bihu celebrations to say hello to one another and show their respect for the family's elders by giving them a fresh "Gamosa" (a traditional Assamese hand-woven cotton towel with red designs with a white background).
• Ali-ai-ligang:
  • ​The Mising or Mishing tribal people of Assam and other Northeast Indian states celebrate Ali-Aye-Ligang or Ali-Ai-Ligang, a spring festival related with agriculture, on the occasion of the start of the Ahu paddy cultivation.
  • The celebration signifies the beginning of seeding.
  • Three words make up the festival's name: "Ali" (legumes), "Aye" (seed), and "Ligang" (sow).
  • On the first Wednesday of Phalguna, the 12th month of the Hindu calendar, the festival gets underway.
• Me-Dum-Me-Phi: 
  • ​Mae Dam Mae Phi is a significant event that the Tai-Ahom have celebrated since very early times.
  • "Me" is an offering word. Both "Dam" and "Phi" refer to the gods.
  • Hence, "Mae Dam Mae Phi" refers to sacrifices made to the spirits of the ancestors.
• Kati Bihu:
  • ​On the first day of the Assamese calendar's "Kati" month, which often falls in the middle of October, Kati Bihu is observed. It falls on October 18 this year.
  • The celebration heralds the shifting of the rice crop and the start of the season of new harvest.
  • An observation of service, penance, and the desire for a better future, Kati Bihu.
  • Despite the fact that each Assamese tribe has its own customs and celebrations of the day, the event is observed throughout the entire state of Assam.
  • Outside the houses, lamps are lit, and a bamboo path is built as a trail for the ancestors.