CULTURE OF NORTH EASTERN INDIA-ASSAM


CULTURE OF NORTH EASTERN INDIA-ASSAM

           The people of the enchanting state of Assam is an intermixture of various racial stocks such as Mongoloid, Indo-Burmese, Indo-Iranian and Aryan. The state has a large number of tribes each unique in its tradition, culture, dressing and exotic way of life. The culture of Assam is a traditionally hybrid one.  It is developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno- cultural groups under various political economic systems in different periods of history.

Religion:

Kamakhya Temple

                    Hinduism constitutes 61.4% of Assam population. Among the various temples present in the state, the Kamakhya Temple needs the special mention. Muslims comprise of the second largest religious group in the state and comprise about 30,925 of the entire population. Christians also form a sizeable population of the state. Assam initially had the tribes following the Animism, along with Hinduism. But in recent times, many people have adopted the customs of Christianity.

Art and Craft:

Cane and Bamboo handicrafts
                         The favorite form of Handicrafts in Assam is cane and bamboo. Mostly the complete houses and items such as music instruments, weaving accessories are all made of cane and bamboo. Metal crafts in Assam consist of generally bell metal and brass metal. Hajo and Sarthebari villages are the most famous for metal works in Assam.  The Kumars and Hiras are the two traditional communities in Assam that are indulged in pottery works. The Kumars use the Potters wheel for producing their articles whereas the Hiras make them without the use of wheel. Assam is famous for the various types of silks.

Festivals:
Bihu
                         Bihu is the most important festival of Assam. Three Bihus are celebrated in a year. Bohag Bihu during the sowing time, Kaati Bihu during the cutting and binding of grains and Magh Bihu which marks the season of harvesting of grains. In the Kamakhya Devi temple, the Ambubachi Mela is organized during the Monsoon season. Majuli festival takes place in the Majuli island in the bank of River Luit. Ranked second world-wide for its production of teas, Assam celebrates Tea festival to glorify their authentic and tasteful tea production.


Cuisine:

Khaar
           When it comes to main food of Assam, Khaar is a non vegetarian dish that comes on top. This meat delicacy is made from the main ingredient khaar and also has raw papaya, pulses and taro. Masor Tenga is the tangy fish curry. Duck meat curry is also one of Assam’s special food. Oou Khatta is the sweet and sour chutney that is made from elephant apple (Ou) and jaggery.  Paro Manxho is the pigeon meat. It is to keep the body warm in winters and thus cooked on special occasions. Pitha is one of the most famous sweet dishes of Assam. Gooror Payas is made from rice, milk,  jaggery, dates, cashew and bay leaves.

Pitha
Dress:
Gamosa
             The Dhoti and Gamosa are said to be the native dress of the men of Assam. Gamosa means ‘A cloth to wipe one’s body’ and is a white cloth with a beautiful red border on three sides and woven motifs on the remaining one. The Gamosa can also be used to felicitate and honour people who achieve some great feat. The Mekhela Chador is the traditional dress for the women of Assam. The Dimasa tribe women wear Rigu. Rigu is a long piece of cloth worn from the waist down usually reaching up to the ankles.

Rigu worn by Dimasa tribe
Mekhela Chador
Music and Dance:
                             Bihu dance is related to the famous Bihu festival of Assam. The Bihu folk music is played with the ‘dhol’ (a pipe instrument), the ‘tata’ (a cymbal) and the ‘toka’ (a bamboo clapper). Through Sattriya dance the performers narrate mythological stories. This is for making the local people understand their religion. In monasteries it is performed everyday by male monks. The dance is performed in conjunction with music called ‘borgeets’ which are based on classical ragas.
                                                              
                                                                                                  DONE BY
                                                                                                   R.VARSHAA


Comments

  1. imaginatively creativeFebruary 11, 2019 at 4:42 AM

    Hamsika
    It is a beautiful work to comprise all the culture of Assamese into a single blog. The beauty of their culture was wonderfully revealed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. imaginatively creativeFebruary 11, 2019 at 7:28 PM

    The blog is very attractive. I Got to know more especially about the music and cuisine of assam.
    G.Abirami

    ReplyDelete
  3. imaginatively creativeFebruary 12, 2019 at 6:17 AM

    The blog is very informative.- Archita. T. Menon

    ReplyDelete
  4. imaginatively creativeFebruary 12, 2019 at 6:25 AM

    The blog is a very interesting and attractive depiction of the culture of Assam. It is very well written.
    Faaiqa Aisha

    ReplyDelete
  5. imaginatively creativeFebruary 12, 2019 at 6:26 AM

    The blog proves to be very interesting and attractive.
    Faadila Aisha

    ReplyDelete

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