Domahi, or Domasi and Damhi, is a popular harvesting festival, celebrated in the Kamrup and eastern

Goalpara Goalpara, Pron: ) is the district headquarters of Goalpara district, Assam, India. It is situated to the west of Guwahati. Etymology The name Goalpara is said to have originated from the word "Gwaltippika" meaning Guwali village, or The villa ...

regions of

Western Assam Lower Assam division is one of the 5 administrative divisions of Assam. It was formed in 1874, comprising Undivided Kamrup district of Western Assam, undivided Darrang and Nagoan districts of Central Assam and Khasi & Jaintia hills of Meghalay ...

. It marks the commencement and end of the harvesting season, and start and end of the Kamrupi and Goalpariya new years.

Etymology

The term consists of two words "Do" which means two and "mah" or "mas" meaning month. The word 'Domahi' means the junction of two months.

Types

The festival is subdivided into "Maghar Domahi" (mid January), "Baihagar or Baishakh Domahi" (mid April) and "Katir or Kartika Domahi" (mid October). Astronomically Baihagar Domahi is associated with Vernal equinox, Kati Domahi is with Autumnal equinox and Maghar Domahi with

Winter solstice The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...

. Greater importance is attached to the winter festival than to the spring festival. But the third festival, held in autumn, is not always considered as another Domahi.

Maghar Domahi

Maghar Domahi or Domasi is a festival of feasting after the end of harvesting season and year. Its celebrated around mid of January. A mass feast is organised on the eve of this festival which is called as "log bhaat" or "bhoj bhat". the Maghar Domahi starts from the last day of "puh maah" according to the

Assamese calendar The Assamese Calendar ( as, ভাস্কৰাব্দ, , Bhāskarābda) is a luni-solar calendar, followed in the Indian state of Assam. The New Year in the Assamese calendar is known as ''Bohag Bihu''. The calendar is counted from the date ...

. The first day of Maghar Domahi is called "uruka". On this day, women prepare pithas, larus, and maah korai.

Baihagar Domahi

Baihagar or Baishakh Domahi is special spring time festival. A fair usually held in the first week of Baihag or third week of April. It is known as "Bhatheli" in northern Kamrup, "Sori" or "Suanri" in southern Kamrup. In the southern part of Kamrup, where the festival is known as Sori, planting of tall bamboos is not seen, but bamboo posts, with a tuft at the top. People bow before the bamboos and also touch them with reverence in northern Kamrup.

Bhatheli

Bhatheli, as called in North Kamrup (

Nalbari Nalbari (Pron: nɔ:lˈbɑ:rɪ) is a town and a municipal board in Nalbari district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Assam. Nalbari town is also the headquarters of Nalbari district, Nalbari District. The town is one of ma ...

Rangiya Rangia is a city and a municipal board in Kamrup rural district in the Indian state of Assam. It is the regional divisional headquarters of the Northeast Frontier Railway. It is situated 52 kilometres away from the state headquarters Dispur Guwa ...

, etc.), is held in the month of

Vaisakha Vaisakha; hi, बैसाख, Baisākh; pa, ਵਿਸਾਖ/وساکھ , te, వైశాఖ, kn, ವೈಶಾಖ, Vaiśākha; ml, വൈശാഖം, Vaiśākham; mr, वैशाख, Vaiśākh; ta, வைகாசி, Vaikāci; ne, � ...

. Each area is decorated with a long bamboo with flag and streamers. The one who adjusts best is called the bridegroom. The others, who are termed brides, then surround the bamboo in a circle, and a mock marriage ceremony is performed. One of the main features of the festival is the planting of two green bamboos. On the fixed date in the morning young men take purifying baths. They cut two bamboos and decorated it with coloured cloth and

cowries Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The term '' porcelain'' derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell (''porcellana' ...

, followed by celebrations with music and instruments. A large scale fair accompanied with trading of different commodities. In the south Kamrup where it is known as "Sori" or "Suanri" follows the same pattern with a few variations. In the Bajali area of north Kamrup a bamboo is kept against a Banyan tree called "Madan Mohan Gosain", a name of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. Banikanta Kakati draws attention towards similarity between Bhatheli and ancient Indradhwaja festival. The Indradhwaja festival is described as "Sakrotthana" in the

Kalika Purana The Kalika Purana ( sa, Kālikā Purāṇa), also called the Kali Purana, Sati Purana or Kalika Tantra, is one of the eighteen minor Puranas ('' Upapurana'') in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. The text was likely composed in Assam or Cooch B ...

, and it took place around a pole with flags. The procedures for the festival as described in the Kalika Purana approximate the preparations to be made for the celebrations of Bhatheli of the present days. The two festivals appear to be one except on certain minor details.D. Sarma (1968), ''Religious Fairs and Festivals of Assam'', ''Journal of Assam research Society, Vol XVIII''

References