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Bikhauti festival is being celebrated in Kumaon of Uttarakhand today. Which is also called ‘Budh Tyaar’. Syalde Bikhauti is celebrated on the last date of Chaitra month, on the first day of Baisakh. This festival becomes special due to the new crop of the fields, the arrival of the new year and the equinox.
Why do we celebrate Bikhauti?
On the last date of Chaitra month, when Baisakh begins and new crops are harvested in the fields, then Bikhauti festival is celebrated on the day of equinox. It is also called “Budh Tyaar” because it is the last big festival in the Uttarayan of the Sun.
How is Bikhauti celebrated?
On the day of Bikhauti, the new crops of the fields are offered to the folk deities. After which the family priest comes and narrates the Samvatsara. Samvatsara means the horoscope of the whole year. In some areas of Kumaon, Harela is also sown on the day of Bikhauti. Elders gently touch the bodies of children with a hot iron rod. This is also called ‘Taav Lagana’ in Kumaoni. It is believed that this cures diseases.
The story of Syalde Bikhauti Fair and ‘Odha’
The real color of Bikhauti is seen in Pali Pachhaun region when Syalde Bikhauti Fair starts from Vibhandeshwar Temple. During this, people dance by singing folk songs of Uttarakhand, holding each other’s hands and walking in step to the beat of tongs along with folk instruments. The biggest attraction of this fair is the ‘Odha Bhentne Ki Rasm’. It is said that while returning after worshipping at Sheetla Devi Mandir, there was a bloody fight between the groups of two villages, in which the head of one group was beheaded. A stone was placed at the place where his head was buried. This stone is called Odha today. The groups move forward by hitting it. Aal, Najyula and Kharak participate in this tradition. There used to be Bagwal (stone war) here, like it happens in Devidhura. But with time, now only the ritual of presenting the shawl remains.
Why is it called ‘Budh Tyaar’
It is said that this is the last festival during the Uttarayan of the Sun God. After the Bikhauti festival, no other festival comes for about 3 months. Harela is celebrated after 3 months, but by then the Sun God has moved to the south. Bikhauti is the last festival during the Uttarayan of the Sun God. That is why it is also known as Budh Tyaar. Today, with changing times, this fair is losing its original form. There was a time when this fair was the center of culture as well as trade. But today the Syalde Bikhauti fair is alive only in Kumaoni songs and stories.
