Assam ASSEB Higher Secondary Skill Subject Bihu flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bohag Bihu

The Assamese New Year festival celebrated on Bohag 1, usually 14 or 15 April, marking spring and sowing; it is the season of Bihu dance, husori carols and new clothes.

Kati Bihu

The mid-October festival also called Kongali Bihu, when granaries are empty; earthen lamps are lit at the tulsi plant and in paddy fields, and no dance or song is traditional.

Magh Bihu

The mid-January harvest thanksgiving also called Bhogali Bihu, centred on the Uruka feast and the burning of the meji and bhelaghar bonfires at dawn on Magh 1.

Meji

A tall conical structure of bamboo and straw built on Uruka and burnt at dawn on Magh 1 as an offering during Magh Bihu, with vegetables roasted in its embers.

Husori

A traditional Bohag Bihu practice in which a group of men sing carol-like songs door to door, offering blessings to households and playfully asking for gifts.

Bihu dhol

The barrel drum central to Bihu music, played with a stick on one head and the hand on the other; its repeated theka sets the rhythm dancers follow.

Pepa

A Bihu wind instrument made from buffalo horn or bamboo, played by the pepua; its wailing melodic call is the signature sound of Bohag Bihu.

Gagana

A bamboo mouth harp, also called a jaw's harp, that produces a twanging drone and is one of the seasonal sound markers of Bihu in Assam.

Xutuli

A small clay whistle used in Bihu music, traditionally made in the Bohag season and valued as a simple seasonal folk instrument.

Bihu hip sway

The signature movement of women's Bihu dance: rapid side-to-side and circular sway of the pelvis, coordinated with shoulder shrugs and a light full-body bounce.

Dhol theka

The repeated rhythmic phrase played by the dhol in Bihu; dancers follow it, and a fill or break in the theka signals a change of step or climax.

Jeng Bihu

A women's circle dance of the Bodo community performed without a dhol, distinct from the Assamese Bihu dance although sharing the seasonal Bihu setting.

Bihu geet

Short strophic Assamese folk songs sung while dancing at Bihu, built on a two-line refrain answered by varied couplets and drawing on rural imagery.

Dhura

The two-line refrain of a traditional Bihu song, which the group repeats or answers while the lead singer sets the following verses.

Mekhela chador

The two-piece Assamese women's drape worn for Bihu dance, made in muga, pat or cotton silk and commonly coloured red, green or yellow.

Gamosa

A white cotton towel with a red border, the emblem of Assamese hospitality; in Bihu it serves as waistband, sash or headband and is given as a gift.

Japi

A conical hat woven from bamboo and palm leaf, worn in some Bihu and Bodo dances; the sorudoiya japi has a notably wider brim.

Kopou phool

The foxtail orchid tucked into the hair bun of Bihu dancers, a standard ornamentation in Assamese performance costume.

Goru Bihu

The first day of the Bohag Bihu cycle, when cattle are bathed, smeared with turmeric and fed bitter herbs in recognition of their agricultural role.

Sera Bihu

The seventh and final day of Bohag Bihu, when the plough and domestic tools are worshipped and the season's Bihu songs come to an end.

Visuvat etymology

The scholarly derivation of the word Bihu from Sanskrit visuvat, meaning equinox, linking the festival to the vernal turning of the season.

Bihu remix

A late-1990s fusion genre combining Bihu dhol and song with electronic beats and studio instruments, popular in clubs but criticised for losing folk context.

UNESCO Bihu inscription

The 2023 inscription of Bihu dance and its songs on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the tradition internationally.

All India Radio Guwahati

The regional broadcaster that became a major patron of Bihu music from the mid-20th century, recording and broadcasting Bihu geet across Assam and beyond.

Uruka

The eve of Magh Bihu, marked by community feasting and the building of the meji and bhelaghar, followed by the bonfire at dawn on Magh 1.

Bhelaghar

A thatched hut of straw built alongside the meji on Uruka and burnt with it during Magh Bihu, with vegetables roasted in the embers.

Khol versus dhol

A key distinction: the khol is the Vaishnava drum of Sattriya dance and Borgeet, while the dhol drives Bihu music and dance.

Bihu teaching sequence

The pedagogical order for Bihu dance: posture and bounce first, then hip sway, then footwork patterns, then dhol-synchronised phrases, then full repertoire.

Bihu fieldwork record

Documentation practice noting a performer's name, age, village, the occasion and date, plus a transcript of the Assamese text with translation.

Bihu oral transmission

The traditional mode of passing Bihu knowledge through guru-shishya and family lines, which written notation of songs and dhol patterns supports but does not replace.

Stage Bihu

The 20th-century proscenium form of Bihu dance, shaped by competitions, radio and television, with uniform troupe costume and fixed choreography.

Bihu dance stance

The basic posture: knees slightly bent, weight low, torso erect but supple, with movement driven from the hips rather than a held, straight back.