Rongali Bihu – 2004 - in Minneapolis, USA

With the silver white snowflakes melting into
spring, the Assamese community of Minneapolis
and St. Paul celebrated Rongali Bihu on the 24th
of April, 2004 with all the traditional fun and
spirit. Geeti and Prantor Bora were the hosts who
beautifully organized the celebrations at "The
Pointe", Downtown St. Paul. The growing
Assamese population in the twin cities added to
the fun to this year's bihu.
It was a day long program. We started with a feast
of the traditional Bihu snacks like pitha, laru, doi,
sira and a bunch of delectable appetizers. Then
the ladies performed a chorus "Sri Moyee Oxomi"
which was followed by husori led by our
enthusiastic souls, Somesh and Pankaj. This was
followed by outdoor games for the kids and the
adults too. The kids loved the marble and spoon
race and so did the adults. There was the tug of
war and the 'koni juj' which was unbelievable fun.
This was followed by a sumptuous lunch,
prepared by all of us. Special thanks to
Sharmistha and Barnali for preparing some
outstanding sweets and other delicacies.
Nilanjona, Geeti and Monica enthralled us with
their incredible bihu dances. Chitralekha (Minti)
and Priyanka's melodius Assamese songs and
Bihugeets captivated all of us. And so did Namita
and Ruby's Assamese songs. Meghna and
Devika's self choreographed dance was another
highlight of the cultural program. We concluded
with the Mukoli Bihu where everybody joined to
the beats of the pepa and the dhul.

With a lot of good moments to savor and cherish
our Bihu celebrations came to an end. We hope to
continue to celebrate our rich traditions even
though we are far away from home.
Once again thanks to Geeti and Prantor for the
impeccable arrangements.
Contributed by Sabina Zeenat