Assam Marks Goru Bihu With Statewide Cattle Rites

Overview

• The statewide observance, which unfolded Tuesday, opened Rongali Bihu and the Assamese New Year with ceremonies across Majuli, Jorhat, Biswanath, Nalbari and Golaghat.
• Farmers bathed cattle in rivers and ponds such as the Brahmaputra and Pagladiya, applied maah and halodhi pastes made from black gram and turmeric, brushed vegetables against the animals, and played dhol and pepa.
• Assam minister Jayanta Malla Baruah joined residents at Nalbari’s Pagladiya River, took part in bathing cattle, and offered New Year greetings while wearing a traditional gamusa.
• Biswanath Sadar Police held a formal observance inside the station under SSP Ajagaurab Basumatary, who said preserving Assamese traditions is a police responsibility.
• Visitors, including a traveler from Chile, joined local rituals, and civil groups urged positioning Goru Bihu on global stages like Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival to showcase Assam’s agrarian heritage.