Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati

Tutumoni

Department of Assamese, Gauhati University, Guwahati, , Email: [email protected]

Tutumoni Das: Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati -- Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology 17(7). ISSN 1567- 214x Keywords: Tradition, Transformation, Festival celebrated in Guwahati

ABSTRACT Human’s trained and proficient works give birth to a culture. The national image of a nation emerges through culture. In the beginning people used to express their joy of farming by singing and dancing. The ceremony of religious conduct was set up at the ceremony of these. In the course of such festivals that were prevalent among the people, folk cultures were converted into festivals. These folk festivals are traditionally celebrated in the human society. Traditionally celebrated festivals take the national form as soon as they get status of formality. In the same territory, the appearance of the festival sits different from time to time. The various festivals that have traditionally come into being under the controls of change are now seen taking under look. Especially in the city of Guwahati in the state of Assam, various festivals do not have the traditional rituals but are replaced by modernity. As a result, many festivals are celebrated under the concept of to observe. Therefore, our research paper focuses on this issue and tries to analyze in the festival celebrated in Guwahati. 1. Introduction A festival means delight, being gained and an artistic creation. It is an absolute element of folk-culture. The agriculturist celebrates the behavior, manners and customs of the society timely. Festivals are ceremonies celebrated in accordance with certain rules and regulations at a particular time. People organize festivals to celebrate the value of their hard work in the field. This festival takes people away from the flow of normal life and feels them to rejoice for a while. Every festival has a intimate relationship with the transformation of natural elements. In this reference, the following remark has given by Lila Gogoi[1] is seriously considerable- Utsɒwɒr mul utsɒ anɒndɒ. Bͻhagɒt powar prɒyax, asar anɒndɒ, maghɒt powar, pa ixamɒrar anɒndɒ. Ei anɒandɒ prɒkritir anɒandɒ, ziwɒnɒk

7416 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

upɒlɒbdhi kɒrar anɒndɒ. Ei anɒndɒi krisi ziwi ɒxɒmiyar ɒntɒar spɒrxɒ kɒri ɒnuprerɒnar zowar ane. Festivals that are celebrated for various reasons provide not only pleasure, but it also entertains people. It is an excellent procedure to entertain in relaxation time--the way many people work together for pleasure. Festivals teach people how to behave socially. It is a part of people’s social life since very old times. The festivals celebrated at different times are closely associated with the human life, their existence, activities, culture etc. Culture is meta-morphed. Traditionally celebrated festivals that preceded a wide field of culture change with the passage of time. Tradition and its changes are complementing each other. Change is seen because tradition is prevalent and this tradition is created by human beings. People are again slaves to their own tastes. People’s taste changes from time to time. So its transformation is a spontaneous process periodically. Assam is a confluence of various caste or tribes from old times [2]. The customs, manners, etc, of different ethnic groups have created a tradition whose birth is unknown. But tradition is not always the same. The changing scenario of tradition is very clear in the Guwahati city which is located in the state of Assam.

2. Methodology Analytical and field study methods have been used in the preparation of the discussion of the paper.In view of the specific scope of discussion of our paper, an attempt has been made to capture the essence of a festival celebrated in the city of Guwahati.

3. Traditionally celebrated festivals and transformations in Guwahati City Guwahati is the nerve-centre of North-East. It is a populous city in view of culture, education and political etc. Of course, the inhabitation and population rate of Guwahati city had low before it becoming the capital of Assam [3]. Guwahati has seen a steady influx of expatriates from all walks of life for the purpose of settlement, business, employment, administrative work etc. Not only the arrival but also the permanently settlement has taken place. Therefore the mixture of various people’s culture and language has shown in the indigenous custom and manner of Guwahati. After being adopted by all the pre-existing custom, hymns, behavior etc., it is accepted in the same way and taken for use. Tradition is created by human beings as a result of having the same purpose at the same time. In a sense, tradition is born in the book of tradition, tradition is absorbed in the book of tradition, and new tradition is created under the auspices of tradition. The living style of the people of Guwahati city is now modern. The modern way of life has mechanized the people of Guwahati. This mechanism is relieved during the festive season. But due to the dense population, the distress area, the modern attitude etc, new additions have been made to the traditionally celebrated festivals. For example-

7417 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

3.1Magh celebration MaghBihu or BhogaliBihu is a winter agricultural festival[4]. In the month of Magh, paddy is harvested and brought to home. So the store house is abundant with paddy. The joy of reaping the crops of hard work is separate. Being happy everyone decorate the Bhelaghɒr(the house made by younger). They take feast in that Bhelaghɒrto promote unity and next day they burn the Mezi in the dawn and pray to the god ɒgɒni (fire). The reason behind this tradition of worship the god ɒgɒni is that there is no danger throughout the year. Of course, modern people are largely unaware of this tradition. Still the people of urban area, they are trying to preserve tradition. And then everyone eats the special dishes of MaghBihu as like pitha(made by rice powder), dai-sira(made by milk) etc. But now in the Guwahati city, a change has taken place in the celebration of MaghBihu. There is no empty paddy field due to the buildings, business works. The trees have been cut down. In this cese too, the tradition of celebrating MaghBihu in Guwahati has not disappeared. The people of Guwahati have been preserving the tradition of making Mezi or Bhelaghɒr with the help of firewood, timber or witted leaf instead of thatching grass.The people in the flats decorate the Mezi with small pieces of wood for the inconvenience of space and worship the god of fire. Some pictures are given below-

A

7418 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

B Figure 1. Part A and Part B shows two types of Mezi made in Guwahati

Secondly, different kinds of pitha, coconut-sesames laddu are made in the time of Bihu. Now-a-days there also pomp has taken place. Now there are available different colours of laddu and pitha in every house of Guwahati city. Except these cakes, different types of sweets, snakes are essential item of MaghBihu which is differently celebrated in Guwahati city. Although MaghBihu is traditionally celebrated in Guwahati, there is a kind of aristocracy.

Figure 2. Different colors of pitha

7419 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

3.2 Tradition and changes in Bͻɦag Bihu Bͻɦag Bihu is a symbol of Assamese culture. Through this the ideals of the life of the Assamese people are revealed. The Bͻɦag Bihu has been formed in the background of agricultural festivals of various ethnic people who have come to Assam at different times. So it can be said a festival of acculturation. In this context, Nirmalprabha Bordoloi[5] mentions Hayman Drape’s quote the faith of the ’s Bihu celebration- Its (Naga festival) theme is the fertility of the field and the central formula runs: As a woman embraces her lover, so may the earth take the seed of the rice into her womb. The fertility of field and man is closely linked in the mind of the Nagas; they are the different expressions of the same force and the prosperity of the village depends on its abundance. Bͻɦag Bihu is celebrated also in Assam in the same background. The tradition of Bͻɦag Bihu is well known to all of us. Uruka is also celebrated in the Bͻɦag Bihu. On that day the bath the cow and worship the cow in the evening with a new titting. The next day is ManuɦBihu. On that day Biɦuwan (special cloth of Assamese people) is given to elders and the younger one takes blessings from the elders. This is how the Bihu lasts for seven days of the month. This is the tradition of Bͻɦag Bihu. But in Guwahati, the tradition of Bͻɦag Bihu has undergone many changes. At the root of this change is the strong attraction towards non-Assamese culture. News channels have also played a significant role in transforming the Bͻɦag Bihu celebrated in Guwahati. The seven-day Bͻɦag Bihu in Guwahati has been going on for almost a month. Moreover, the unenclosed BͻɦagBihu was transformed into stage performance or Bihu. Popular lyricists are now appearing on the stage of Bihu instead of Bihu songs, Hunsuri etc. The people of Guwahati have become unsteady in looking for Zubin, Papon, PriyankaBharali, KusumKailash, Mantumoni and many other’s songs instead of beautiful melodious Bihu songs. Some of them sings a few lines of Bihu song on the stage and finish their Bihuprogram. As a result, most of the Bihu songs that traditionally flow from one generation to another are unknown to the people of Guwahati today. The seven- Bihu of Bͻɦag (GɒruBihu, ManuɦBihu or SeneɦiBihu, KutumBihu, Mela or ɦatBihu,RatiBihu, GoxaiBihu, Sera Bihu) were lost in Guwahati. There is no traditional celebration of Uruka (the day before Manuɦ Biɦu), GɒruBihu(worship of cow) in Guwahati. Instead of these traditional works, a new tradition has raised in Guwahati. These are the expensive decoration of stages, various competitions related to Biɦu, splendid business of clothes.

3.3 Holi Festival and changes Holi or phakuwa is a festival celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Phagun. Holi is practiced in different parts of Assam by different folklore, customs, etc. Holi celebrated in is famous in Assam. Holi, celebrated at Barpetamonastery, brings indescribable joy to all[6]. But during Holi in

7420 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

Guwahati, a different picture can be seen.There is not any tradition obeyed during the time of Holi in Guwahati. In Guwahati people celebrates Holi as rain dance, tomato dance which is not our culture.

Figure 3. Picture of rain dance in Holi in Guwahati

They find happiness of playing in the mud among this process of outsiders. Of course, it is remarkable that the hostel students of the Cotton State University and Gauhati University are trying to keep this tradition of Holi in the living state. The only thing about the people of Guwahati knows how to take a selfie with his friends and family by painting with colors on their face and body.

Figure 4. A moment of taking selfie with friends by coloring each other

The people of Guwahati have never heard of the precious Holi song in their modern life except on TV now-a-days. We have so many Holi songs in our culture. For example-- rɒgŋere zui zwɒlil azi pɒlaxɒr dalɒte phagunɒre ba lagil

7421 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

nikunzɒ bɒnɒte.[7] Instead of this beautiful Holi song, we can heard the following song sung by the people of Guwahati specially celebrating Holi- Holi hei Holi hei Rang barse bhige sunarwali Rang barse.[8]

3.4 Worship of goddess Durga and transformation Autumnal festival Durga Puja means anxiety of mind and a hustle and bustle environment all around.Preparation for the worship of goddess Durga at various places---this is a reflection of Guwahati metropolis easily accessible during Durga puja.The people of Guwahati are now celebrating the festival of Durga instead of worshiping. People pay more attention to the construction of the canopy of puja than the worship. In other words, the tradition of Durga Puja in Guwahati is celebrated in the form of constructing the canopy of Durga Puja expensively.The Durga festival of Guwahati is celebrated on the basis of who can win the title of the best canopy of Puja instead of rules, customs and tradition. There is also a competition in decorating the idol of goddess Durga among the committee of Puja. Therefore the people of Guwahati come to ‘see ’ the idol of goddess Durga or canopy of Puja. According to the tradition of Bengali people, Aarti competition is held in the evening worship place. We do not see a Puja where our tradition is followed or practiced.

Figure 5. Expensive decoration of Durga puja

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It is to be noted that on the day of VijayaDashami, cultural evenings are organized in most places after the immersion of the goddess. There dance and song performance are done by local artist. The moorage of Kachari, where the idol of goddess has to be given up, there is seen to be crowded with people by singing or dancing in popular songs. In the case of goddess worship, the reason for such an act cannot be ascertained. Probably due to the cultural influence of non-Assamese people, this change has taken place in the Assamese tradition.

3.5 celebration New Year’s celebration is a festival formed by the people of Guwahati. This tradition is now prevalent all over Assam. Among the Assamese people, there was no English New Year celebration before. This new culture has taken root in Guwahati as a result of intensive interaction with Western education and culture. Various festivals are organized in Guwahati to celebrate the New Year. Kite festival, food festival etc. are such type of festival, which is celebrated in Guwahati especially in the time of upcoming New Year. The Guwahati city is newly renovated with decorated lights and balloons. Hotels, restaurants etc. prepare special New Year’s food items.On December 31st, everyone jointly eats one meal and on January 1st, everyone earns good fortune by visiting temples, monastery etc. Everyone eats a companion picnic for giving a farewell the old year and welcoming the New Year with joy and hope.This is a festival celebrated in Guwahati, the transformation of the people of Guwahati.This change reflects a change in people’s thinking, attitudes and tastes. In addition to these, there are other festivals in Guwahati which were not part of the folk-community tradition, but were formed among the people of Guwahati. For example- book fair, textile fair, bhogalimela, bͻɦagimela etc. But there also changes have been seen.

4. Possible causes of Change Most of the people in Guwahati are modern. The modern way of life is one of the reasons for this change. Due to totally blind imitation of western or non-Assamese culture, there has been seen a transformation of traditional festivals celebrated in Guwahati. Having a low attitude towards own tradition, own tradition has become changed. The role of globalization is significant in this regard. The people of Guwahati are also unable to preserve traditions due to the lack of real knowledge about culture. As a result, change becomes normal. Social media, News channels etc. have also taken the lead in transforming the festivals celebrated in Guwahati. This change is due to the various competitions organized by them.

7423 Tradition and Transformation: On the basis of Celebrated Festivals in Guwahati PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

5. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be seen that various festivals are traditionally celebrated in Guwahati.But the impact of change on them is obvious. At the core of this is the mechanical life of man, crisis of place, the life of the flat dweller, the abandonment of one’s own traditions and the adoption of the traditions of others. Tradition and its transformation are a natural process[9]. The language and culture of a nation which has been prevalent for a long time will change due to surrounding influences. But in the name of change, deviating from the original is a negative aspect of the nation concerned. The change that has taken place in the name of tradition in the Guwahati metropolis has created a lot of suspicion, especially in the field of festivals. The Assamese people of Guwahati will lose their identity if this change, which has gone on the preserve the tradition, continues. Therefore, in the interest of protecting the identity of our nation, we should all be aware. Our awareness will keep us culturally distinct, unadulterated. 6. Acknowledgments The author is sincerely grateful to Dr. Bipul Malakar, Associalte Professor of Nowgaong Girls College under whom this research paper has been prepared. and also want to offer my gratitude to the Department of Assamese ,Gauhati University.

References Gogoi, Lila .Axamar Sanskriti, Banalota prakasan, Guwahati, 2000. , Debojit.ed. Uttar-Pub Bharatar Zanagosthiya Utsab-Anusthan. N.R Publication, Guwahati, 2017. Maral, Dipangkar. Upabhasa Bigyan. Banalota, Guwahati, 2007. Baruah, Anup Kumar. Bhasa-Xahitya-Sanskritir Xaphura. Koustabh Prakasan, , 2011. Das, Narayan. Axamar Sanskriti-Kox. JyotiPrakasan, Guwahati, 2009. Bordoloi, Nirmalprabha. Axamar Lokasanskriti. Binalaibrary, Guwahati, 2011. Baruah, Prahladkumar. Asamiya Lokasahity. Asom SahityaSabha, Dibrugarh, 2001. Akhtar, Javed and Shiv-Hari Music, online available from https://www.lyricsindia.net/songs/2359 Sarma, Nabin Chandra. Asamiya Loka-Sanskriti rAbhax. Chandraprakas, Guwahati, 2007.

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