Kati Bihu 2023: Wishes, messages and how the harvest festival is celebrated in Assam

Kati Bihu, celebrated on the first day of the Kati month in the Assamese calendar, usually falls in mid-October. This year it is celebrated on October 18. The festival signifies the transplanting of rice crops and the beginning of the new harvest season. Kati Bihu is a time for reflection, atonement and an optimistic outlook for the future. It is observed throughout the state of Assam. Houses are decorated with lit lamps and bamboo paths are built to honour ancestors.

Kati Bihu 2023: Wishes, messages and greetings to share

1. Wishing you a bright future full of love and luck. May all your dreams come true. Happy Kati Bihu to you!

2. Let us all commit to eliminating the negativity around us and move forward with hope and courage. Happy Kati Bihu!

3. It's time to take out the candles and have a family dinner and party with our loved ones. Kati Bihu greets you.

4. As we light the lamps outside our homes, we pray that your life will also be illuminated with new dreams and achievements. Happy Kati Bihu to you.

5. This is the time to relocate the rice shoots. We hope the new harvest season brings joy and prosperity to your life. A very happy Kati Bihu.

6. Let us welcome this new harvest season with warmth and prayer. Happy Kati Bihu everyone.

7. Let us strengthen our hopes on this festival of Kati Bihu and move forward in life with an optimistic mood. I wish you the best in your future. Happy Kati Bihu.

8. A very happy Kati Bihu to you. Hope the new harvest season ushers in joy and prosperity in your life.

9. Warm wishes to you and your family on Kati Bihu. May this happy occasion inspire you with new hopes and ambitions to pursue, so that you may achieve them.

10. It's time to take out the candles and have a family dinner and party with our loved ones. Kati Bihu greets you.

Kati Bihu 2023: Rituals

1. During Kati Bihu, the tulsi plant undergoes a purification ritual and is placed on an earthen platform called Tulsi Bheti.

2. This festival involves making offerings and seeking blessings from the Gods for the well-being of family, relatives and a prosperous harvest.

3. Also, people light a special lamp called Akash Banti or Sky Candle in their paddy fields.

4. These lamps, fueled with mustard oil, are placed on bamboo poles.

5. These illuminated lamps are believed to serve as a guiding light for your ancestors on their journey to the afterlife.

Kati Bihu 2023: Importance

The three Bihu festivals in Assam have great agricultural importance and each marks a different phase in the agricultural cycle. Kati Bihu, also known as Kongali Bihu, falls during a time when rice seedlings are transplanted.

The name Kongali Bihu is derived from the fact that during this period the granaries are usually empty and little is left to consume. To combat the darkness and hardship of this time, lamps or candles are lit throughout the house. A central lamp is placed near the sacred Tulsi plant, which symbolizes hope.