Bwisagu

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bwisagu" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (June 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message ) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Bwisagu Bodo New Year
Boro Girls performing bwisagu dance in traditional attire
Observed by	Boros
Type	Social, Cultural, Religious
Significance	New Year
Date	1st Baisakh
Frequency	annual
Related to	South and Southeast Asian solar New Year

Bwisagu

Characteristics

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The characteristics of the Bwisagu festivals can be classified as follows:

• "Gwkha-Gwkhwi Janai" or eating bitter & sour-tasting wild vegetables on the day of Sankranti, or the day before the first day of the new year.
• "Mwsou thukhwinai" or bathing of cattle
• Worshipping gods and goddesses
• Worshipping ancestors
• Merry-making and enjoyment at the beginning of the new year.

Bwisagu, as observed by Kacharis, indicates the pattern which the festival follows over several days. The first day is for the "Makhau" or "Mashau" meant for

and other birds; the seventh is meant for receiving relatives and friends.

House cleaning, cattle rites, worship of

Bathow

is done on the second day of the festival. There is also the ceremo - eating cooked fowl with a bitter herb known as "Khungkha" or other wild vegetables with varied flavors. They also offer this to visitors.

Music and dance

Merrymaking is an integral part of this Bodo Festival. Music and dance become a regular feature. Young men play on the "

cymbals

called "jotha".

Rites performed during Bwisãgu

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The

perform certain rites on the occasion me the Bwisãgu festival:

• They produce a particular tune on the flute, the tune is called "Santravali". It is believed to destroy snake eggs. Because
  Bodos
  believe snakes are a foe of all creatures, annihilation of snakes is considered an act of general welfare.
• Worship the deities.
• Worship to their
  ancestors
  .
• Bid farewell to the old year.
• Pay respect to the teachers and elderly persons.
• Exchange love and affection.
• Dance and sing songs.
• Worship their god (Burãh Bãthou Mahãrãjã) with the hope of more and more production and growth my cultivation.
• On the seventh-day bid farewell to "Bwisagu".

Cattle Rites during Bwisãgu

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The last date of the month of

. Before taking them off the cowshed the owner pays respects to them. While leading the cows to the river for bathing the cowherds sing songs and beat them lightly with the "Dighalati" plant. After taking away the cows from the cowshed, the cow dunk cakes are thrown away and the shed is cleaned. The old ropes (phaga) are replaced by new ones.

See More

• Bodo culture

References

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=YuSSBQAAQBAJ&dq=Bwisagu+assam&pg=PP1

• A study in the cultural heritage of the Bodo by Dr Kameshwar Brahma

External links