The Bhela Ghors of Assam

Every year in January, the Assamese celebrate the winter harvest with Magh Bihu. The cold is given a stiff battle by the burning mejis and the Bhela Ghors. But wait, I am moving ahead.
Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu is a festival of feasting. A traditional festival on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Magh Bihu is full of games and traditional activities. The festival starts on the last day of the previous day called 'uruka' or the eve. This is where the Bhela Ghors come in.

 

These are temporary houses made of thatch, dry grass, hay, bamboo. People of the neighbourhood gather in it to eat a stupendous feast prepared outdoors. Bhela Ghors are seen adorning the harvested golden fields all across rural Assam.

Traditionally, there is also a ritual of stealing vegetables from others' kitchen gardens to cook in the feast. Even in cities and towns, where there are no bhela ghor ritual, the feasting is inevitable as well as the stealing though this might extend from vegetables to whatever is lying on the front yard of neighbours.No matter where the Assamese might be in the world, uruka feasting (uruka bhuj) on the eve of Magh Bihu is a must. Kath alu fry, labra baji (mixed vegetables), all kinds of meat, fish, kichiri etc etc are prepared communally or in the form of pot luck.

 

After the feasting, early next morning,  people take their baths and light these Bhela Ghors along with the Meji (bonfires). Mejis will be burned early morning on January 16th this year, both in rural as well as in urban Assam plus everywhere in the world where Assamese groups are located. Offerings of a mixture of raw rice and mati dail (black gram), pitha and ladoos, betel nut, paan, and til (sesame seeds) are offered to the fire.

 

The burning of the Mejis traditionally burn out the winter cold. It's wonderful to sit around bonfires in the evening and also in the early morning and roast potatoes, sweet potatoes.Either wrap your potatoes in foil and bury them in the embers or just like that and then hunt for the roasted tubers in a while with a stick, eating it hot and yummy!

 

The day begins after the burning of the Mejis with an elaborate breakfast of chira (flattened rice), doi (curd), gur (jaggery), various pithas, lusi bhaji, ladoos of coconut and til, komal chaul, etc. 

Following the heavy morning 'jolpan', the day ahead has a number of pastimes such as buffalo fights especially in Sibsagar and tekeli bhonga (breaking of earthern pots).  Koni juj (egg fights) are fought with gusto in almost every home and kukura juj (cock fights) are also seen in various places.