JORHAT, April 18 � �Ebaku Bishu�, the spring festival of the Deori community of Assam is going to be celebrated from Wednesday with a weeklong festive celebration.
Deori villages in Jorhat district too are ready to celebrate the festival. The Deori community of Jorhat, those residing in Naamdori and Upor Deori villages in Jorhat and Chiram Deori of Majuli are also gearing up to celebrate the weeklong annual spring festival �Ebaku Bishu� this time.
The festivities are related to the agricultural cycle, and Deoris being an agrarian people, enjoy the festivities with unrestricted joy and enthusiasm.
According to local folk belief, the first Wednesday of the Bohag month is a sacred day.
The rituals will start with a puja at the Deughar, a community prayer hall, which will be followed by animal sacrifice. Thereafter, Bihu dance will be performed from the evening till the morning of the next day by the young men and women.
�In the morning, usually a goat is sacrificed at the alter of Goddess Kechaikhati for the welfare of the community,�� said a priest of the community to this correspondent.
The young people smear mud on each other while dancing Bihu. This type of Bihu Dance is known as �Boka Bihu�.
People of the community also offer sacrifices of ducks and fowls individually for the welfare of their families.
On Thursday, early in the morning, the cattle will be bathed in the river. After the cattle worship, the head of the family offers �pinda� to the deceased members of the family.
�Konijuj� (fight with eggs) is held on the occasion of the second day of the Bihu.
Later on, during the day, neighbours visit each other and wish each other a happy and prosperous year. The young people hold �husori� and perform Bihu dance every evening in every households for the rest of the week. �One of the main attractions of the first day of the Bihu is the prophecy made by the �Deu�, who performs �Deudhoni Nritya� and forecasts the future of the village for the year,� said Saurav Deori, an organiser of the Deori Bihu.
Inter caste marriage in the family of the �Deu� is strictly prohibited and all social and religious norms would have to be followed rigorously.
