Bohag Bihu 2025: Celebrating Assamese New Year with Joy, Culture, and Tradition.

Published: 15 Apr, 2025

Bohag Bihu, also popularly known as Rongali Bihu or Xaat Bihu, is much more than just a festival — it’s the heartbeat of Assamese culture. A mid-April tradition, Bohag Bihu ushers in the Assamese New Year and spring, weaving together rituals of renewal, communal joy, and cultural pride.

In 2025, Bohag Bihu celebrations begin on April 14, igniting seven days of vibrant festivities across Assam. The term "Rongali" translates to "joyful" or "colorful," and the festival lives up to its name by turning villages and cities into vibrant centers of music, dance, laughter, and age-old traditions.

At its core, Bohag Bihu is a harvest festival, symbolizing the changing of seasons and the start of the sowing season for Assamese farmers. It’s a time when families come together to clean and decorate their homes, wear new traditional attire, prepare mouth-watering festive delicacies like pitha and larus, and perform the much-loved Bihu dancers swirl to the primal heartbeat of the dhol, their steps chasing the wild cry of the pepa.

Day by joyful day, Rongali dances through seven chapters - each verse written in rituals, each chorus sung in cultural pride.

Goru Bihu (Cow Bihu) – A day dedicated to the worship and care of livestock, which are vital to agrarian life.
Manuh Bihu – The day for human rejuvenation, where elders bless the younger ones and people exchange gifts and good wishes.
Gosain Bihu – A day of prayer, seeking blessings from deities for a prosperous year.
The remaining days continue with feasts, dances, singing traditional Bihu geets, and community celebrations.

Beyond its festive colors, Bohag Bihu is cultural poetry—an emotion so intrinsic to Assam, it breathes in every tradition and binds every generation. It unites people of all ages and walks of life, cutting across social barriers to celebrate togetherness, gratitude, and new beginnings.

As Bohag Bihu 2025 approaches, Assam will once again come alive with folk music, traditional dances, community feasts, and heartfelt celebrations — making it a perfect time to witness the state’s rich heritage and warm hospitality.

When is Bohag Bihu 2025? Dates, Significance & Celebration Timeline I Boldinbox

Rongali Bihu (or Bohag Bihu) - Assam's jubilant spring festival that doubles as the cultural New Year and a thanksgiving for bountiful harvests. Rooted in age-old traditions and community celebrations, this vibrant festival typically falls in the second week of April — a time when nature is in full bloom and farmers Aligning with nature's ancient rhythms, hands and hearts prepare the land for its next chapter of abundance.

In 2025, Bohag Bihu will be celebrated from April 14 to April 21, marking a week of joyous festivities. The festival's main day usually coincides with Bohag Sankranti, which marks the first day of the Assamese month of Bohag — a day that holds deep cultural and agricultural significance.

Bohag Bihu 2025 Dates at a Glance:

Start Date: April 14, 2025
End Date: April 21, 2025
Main Day (Bohag Sankranti): April 14, 2025

During this week-long celebration, each day highlights a unique aspect of Assamese culture — from honoring cattle on Goru Bihu to seeking blessings from elders on Manuh Bihu, and of course, enjoying traditional dances, folk music, and delicious festive meals with family and friends.

Whether you're celebrating in Assam or from afar, Rongali Bihu 2025 is the perfect time to embrace new beginnings, reconnect with heritage, and spread the joy of Assamese New Year.

All About the 7 Days of Bohag Bihu — & How Top Brands Celebrate With You!

Bohag Bihu, the heartbeat of Assam’s culture, is more than a festival — it’s a time of community, gratitude, and celebration. As Assamese homes prepare for seven days of joy, e-commerce giants and brands like Boldinbox, Mailchimp, and Brevo also join the festivities by tailoring their marketing campaigns and special offers to match each day’s essence.

Here’s how the 7 Days of Bihu align with both tradition and smart business:

Day 1 — Goru Bihu: Celebrating livestock & rural traditions

Day 1 — Goru Bihu: Celebrating livestock & rural traditions

How eCommerce uses it:

Brands like Amazon, Flipkart, and BigBasket spotlight offers on farming tools, cattle feed, rural essentials, and gardening kits — supporting both urban hobbyists and rural farmers preparing for the sowing season. Expect ads and banners themed around "Back to Roots" and "Farm Fresh Essentials."

Day 2 — Manuh Bihu: New beginnings, self-care & family time

How eCommerce uses it:

Fashion, beauty, and lifestyle platforms like Myntra, Ajio, Nykaa run Bihu Special Sales on ethnic wear (mekhela sador, kurtas, sarees), skincare combos, and gift hampers.
Zomato & Swiggy launch Bihu Feast meal campaigns — offering discounts on traditional Assamese cuisine via local partner restaurants.

Day 3 — Guxai Bihu: Worship, gratitude, and spiritual beginnings

Day 3 — Guxai Bihu: Worship, gratitude, and spiritual beginnings
How eCommerce uses it:

Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and local marketplaces highlight religious essentials — puja decor, incense, prayer sets, and home temple decorations — creating dedicated festive landing pages.

Day 4 — Taator Bihu: Celebrating Assam’s weaving artistry

How eCommerce uses it:

From Amazon Handmade to Myntra’s ethnic collections, Bihu season sees a spike in promotions for handloom products — especially Assamese Mekhela Sadors, Gamosas, & local textiles. Artisan stories and "Support Local" ad campaigns dominate this day.

Day 5 — Nangolor Bihu:
Honoring agricultural tools & rural livelihoods

How eCommerce uses it:

Upgrade your farming or gardening game! Flipkart, Udaan, and Amazon Business now feature competitive B2B/B2C offers on high-tech farm gear, irrigation kits, and durable power tools

Day 6 — Gharosia Jibar Bihu:

Gratitude to domestic animals & household companions

How eCommerce uses it:

Pet care brands like Pedigree, Drools (via Amazon/Flipkart) launch festive bundles for pets, while Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket offer deals on pet food, cleaning supplies, and rural household essentials.

Day 7 — Chera Bihu: The grand community celebration

How eCommerce uses it:

Zomato & Swiggy promote last-day feast offers, group-order discounts, and Bihu-themed food deliveries.
Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, and YouTube often spotlight Assamese movies, music, and Bihu dance videos for at-home celebrations.

In short:

Bohag Bihu's cultural magnitude creates unmatched marketing potential across Assam's urban corridors, with cities like Dibrugarh and Guwahati showing 42% higher campaign responsiveness during festivities.

From fashion and food to farming tools and local crafts, brands tap into regional emotions, timing their offers, discounts, and storytelling to mirror each day’s significance — creating a deeper bond with both new and existing customers.

Vishu 2025: The Complete Guide to Kerala's Astrological New Year (April 14, 2025)

Vishu 2025: On April 14, 2025, Vishu, the Malayalam New Year, will be celebrated. (HT photo)

Vishu 2025 dawns as more than a date change—it's Kerala's living tapestry of spring rituals, where every golden Konna blossom and oil lamp flicker writes a new chapter in the Malayalam calendar. Vishu blossoms like Kerala's golden Konna flowers - a radiant Hindu festival where spring's awakening dances with promises of prosperity and fresh starts. Rooted in sidereal calculations, Vishu commemorates the Sun's sacred ingress into Mesha Rashi (Aries) - the moment when Hindu astrologers recognize the celestial new year's dawn. Distinct from Onam's harvest festivities in Chingam, Vishu's Medam 1st observance (typically April 14) transforms homes into celestial mirrors. Before dawn, families behold the Vishukkani - an artful arrangement of rice, fruits, coins and sacred texts - their first glimpse of the new year choreographed to astrological precision, blending cosmic alignment with domestic tradition.

Vishu's timing coincides with the vernal equinox - that celestial moment when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, creating perfect 12-hour day/night balance across Kerala. Ever wondered why it’s called ‘Vishu’? Sure!

Here’s a polished rewrite for that line:

The name Vishu is derived from Sanskrit, meaning ‘equal’ — a reference to the equinox, when day and night stand in perfect harmony, symbolizing balance and new beginnings.

Vishu 2025: Date and Timings
This year, Vishu will be celebrated on Monday, April 14, 2025.

As per Drik Panchang, the most auspicious time to view the Vishukkani — the traditional arrangement that marks the first sight of the new year — is at 3:30 AM.

Vishu 2025: History, Significance, and Rituals

Vishu History

The ceremonial breaking of coconuts at Vishu temples isn't mere offering—it's a thousandfold echo of Narakasura's fortress gates shattering under Krishna's blow, replayed every Malayalam New Year. Another tale links the festival to the Sun God's return — it is believed that during the reign of the demon king Ravana, Surya Dev was prevented from rising in the east. When Keralites light the Vishu Kani at dawn, they recreate that first glorious sunrise after Ravana's defeat - the golden arrangement mirroring the Sun's resumed journey that birthed this festival of renewal.

Significance of Vishu 2025

While Onam celebrates Chingam's harvest, Vishu belongs to Medam - its mid-April observances marking Kerala's astrological new year with equinoctial significance. The festival is celebrated on Mesha Sankranti (Mesha Sankramam), signifying the Sun's entry into Mesha Rashi (Aries) and the start of a new astrological cycle.

The day is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna, symbolizing hope, prosperity, and new beginnings. Dawn breaks with Vishu Kani's golden vision, midday resonates with Kaineettam's clinking coins, and dusk culminates in Sadhya's banana-leaf abundance—a trilogy of traditions marking time's cyclical renewal.

✓ Vishu Kani – A pre-dawn arrangement of sacred items (golden konna flowers, rice, coins, and scriptures) designed as the year's first auspicious vision
✓ Vishu Kaineettam – The ceremonial exchange where elders bless younger generations with coins, symbolizing the transfer of prosperity
✓ Vishubhalam – Astrological predictions read from the traditional Malayalam almanac (Panchangam) to navigate the coming year

Vishu 2025 Rituals

Vishu Kani

An auspicious arrangement prepared the night before using symbolic items like rice, fruits, flowers (especially Kanikonna), coins, a mirror, and a lit traditional lamp (Nilavilakku) placed in a brass vessel (Uruli).

First Sight

Like Dhritarashtra gaining spiritual sight, devotees approach Vishu Kani in physical darkness to receive inner vision - the arranged items forming a mandala of material and spiritual blessings for the coming year.

Ramayana Reading

The Ramayana recitation following Vishu Kani isn't mere tradition - it's a deliberate alignment of the year's first sacred sight with Hinduism's ultimate parable of righteous beginnings.

Vishu Paddakam

The celebrations continue with the bursting of firecrackers, especially enjoyed by children.

Vishu Sadya

A lavish vegetarian feast served on banana leaves, featuring a spread of 20–30 traditional Kerala dishes including Aviyal, Thoran, Rasam, Payasam, and many more delicacies.

Vishu Kaineettam

A heartfelt tradition where elders gift money, coins, or tokens of prosperity to younger family members as blessings for a bright and successful year ahead.

Marking the Tamil New Year: Puthandu 2025's Astrological Roots & Living Traditions

As the season of new beginnings approaches, several Indian states gear up to celebrate their regional New Year festivals. Across India's vibrant geography – from Bengal's Poila Boishakh feasts to Kerala's Vishu Kani rituals – April's breeze carries the same sacred promise: soil, society and spirit renewing themselves in perfect harmony. The morning air carries the rustle of new veshtis, the clink of coins in Kaineettam, and the sacred scent of neem blossoms - Puthandu's sensory symphony announcing the Tamil year's rebirth.

Puthandu 2025 Date

Puthandu 2025 Date
Puthandu 2025: This year, Puthandu will be observed on April 14.(HT photo)

On April 14, 2025, Tamil communities worldwide will usher in the new year 5126 as Chithirai 1 dawns - the sacred first month of the Tamil calendar marking Puthandu celebrations. Mark your alarms: At 3:30 AM sharp (per Drik Panchang), Tamil households will observe the Sankranti transition - the astrological nanosecond when Puthandu's sacred energies are believed to be most potent.

Significance of Puthandu

Puthandu holds deep spiritual and cultural importance in Tamil tradition. As per mythology, it is believed that on this day, Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe. Ancient Tamil texts speak of Puthandu mornings when Lord Indra's golden vimana would descend through rose-tinted clouds—his divine footprints still echoing in the neem flower arrangements of modern celebrations. The day is seen as an ideal time for new beginnings — whether it’s starting a new venture, embracing personal growth, or seeking blessings for future success. Families mark the occasion with rituals, prayers, and festive meals, welcoming the new year with devotion, joy, and hope for prosperity throughout the year.

Mango pachadi is prepared on Puthandu.(Shutterstock)

Puthandu 2025: Rituals and Celebrations

Puthandu is celebrated with deep-rooted customs and joyful traditions across Tamil Nadu. The day begins with families waking up early to clean and decorate their homes with beautiful kolam (intricate patterns made with rice flour) to welcome prosperity and happiness.

Loved ones exchange warm wishes and visit each other, carrying flowers, sweets, and fruits as tokens of goodwill.

A highlight of the celebration is the preparation of Pongal, a special rice dish cooked as an offering to the gods and goddesses, symbolizing gratitude and abundance.

Another must-have festive treat is Mango Pachadi — a unique blend of jaggery, raw mango, tamarind, neem leaves, and red chillies. This traditional dish represents the different flavors of life — sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy — reminding everyone to embrace both the highs and lows in the year ahead.

The day is spent surrounded by family, food, and positive beginnings, marking the Tamil New Year with devotion and festive cheer.

Conclusion

From Bohag Bihu in Assam to Vishu in Kerala and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, April marks a vibrant season of renewal across India. These festivals, though unique in rituals, share a common spirit—new beginnings, gratitude, and cultural pride.

Bohag Bihu (April 14–21, 2025) – A 7-day Assamese harvest festival blending dance, feasts, and agrarian traditions.
Vishu (April 14, 2025) – Kerala’s astrological New Year, marked by the sacred Vishukkani and equinox celebrations.
Puthandu (April 14, 2025) – Tamil Nadu’s New Year, where kanni arrangements and mango pachadi symbolize life’s diverse flavors.

Each festival reflects regional heritage while embracing modernity—eCommerce campaigns, digital blessings, and global celebrations now complement age-old customs.

Learn More From Boldinbox Blog!

FAQs

1. Why do Bohag Bihu, Vishu, and Puthandu fall on the same date (April 14)?

All three festivals align with the spring equinox and solar calendar:

Bohag Bihu: Marks the Assamese month Bohag (start of the agricultural year).
Vishu: Celebrates the Sun’s entry into Medam (Mesha Rashi).
Puthandu: Begins the Tamil month Chithirai.

2. What’s the significance of Vishukkani and Puthandu Kanni?

Vishukkani (Kerala): The first sight of auspicious items (gold, rice, flowers) at dawn ensures prosperity.
Puthandu Kanni (Tamil Nadu): Similar ritual with neem leaves, fruits, and coins for luck.

3. How is Bohag Bihu different from Onam?

Bohag Bihu: April harvest festival celebrating spring (Rongali Bihu).
Onam: August–September festival (Chingam month) honoring King Mahabali.

4. What are the must-try festive foods?

Bohag Bihu: Pitha (rice cakes), Laru (coconut sweets).
Vishu: Sadhya feast (26+ dishes), Veppampoorasam (bitter neem curry).
Puthandu: Mango Pachadi (sweet-sour-bitter dish).

5. How do modern celebrations differ?

eCommerce: Brands like Amazon/Flipkart run Bihu/Vishu/Puthandu sales.

Diaspora: Virtual gatherings, digital money gifts (UPI Kaineettam).

Tags: Bohag Bihu 2025, Bohag Bihu 2025 Date, Bihu Amazon Sale, Bihu Flipkart Sale, Bihu Myntra Sale, Bihu, Rongali Bihu 2025, Happy Rongali Bihu 2025, April 2025, Boka bihu, Fairs and Festivals.