 |
Gamosa
The Gamosa is an article
of great significance for the people of Assam. Literally
translated, it means 'something to wipe the body with'
(Ga=body, mosa=to wipe); interpreting the word “gamosa”
as the body-wiping towel is misleading. It is generally
a white rectangular piece of cloth with primarily
a red border on three sides and red woven motifs on
the fourth (in addition to red, other colors are also
used).
|
Though it is used daily to wipe the body after a bath (an
act of purification), the use is not restricted to this.
It is used by the farmer as a waistcloth (tongali) or a
loincloth (suriya); a Bihu dancer wraps it around the head
with a fluffy knot. It is hung around the neck at the prayer
hall and was thrown over the shoulder in the past to signify
social status. Guests are welcomed with the offering of
a gamosa and tamul (betel nut) and elders are offered gamosas
(bihuwaan) during Bihu. It is used to cover the altar at
the prayer hall or cover the scriptures. An object of reverence
is never placed on the bare ground, but always on a gamosa.
One can therefore, very well say, that the gamosa symbolizes
the life and culture of Assam.
The word gamosa is derived from the Kamrupi word gaamasa
(gaama+chadar), the cloth used to cover the Bhagavad Purana
at the altar. The equivalent word in Oriya is spelled as
gaamu + cha = gamucha.
Significantly the gamosa is used equally by all irrespective
of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
 |
Bihu
Bihu is the national
festival of Assam. Primarily a festival celebrated
to mark the seasons and the significant points of
a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle, in recent
times the form and nature of celebration has changed
with the growth of urban centers. A non-religious
festival, all communities---religious or ethnic---take
part in it.
|
Three Bihus are celebrated: rongali,
celebrates the coming of spring and the beginning of the
sowing season; kongali, the barren bihu when the fields
are lush but the barns are empty; and the bhogali, the thanksgiving
when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full.
Durga Puja
Other than Bihu, Durga
Puja is also celebrated in Assam with great pomp and
splendour, although this might be a cultural effect
of the millions of Bengali people living in the state.
Even then, the entire state rejoices during Durga
Puja, which signifies the victory of good over evil.
|
|
 |
Music
Assam, being
the home to many ethnic groups and different cultures,
is very rich is folk music. The indigenous folk music
has in turn influenced the growth of a modern idiom,
that finds expression in the music of such artists
like Rudra Baruah, Parbati Prasad Baruah, Jayanta
Hazarika, Bhupen Hazarika, Khagen Mahanta among many
others.
|
|
