| Husari and Bihunas
The two main forms of dancing are Husari and Bihunas.
Husari is carol singing.
Batches of boys and young men led by older men
go from house to house, sing and dance in the front or back courtyard
and collect subscriptions to be spent on repairing the village Namghar
(community centre) and on feasting. The dance commences with singing of
hymns led by a comparatively elder person. The music is staccato. Each
dance lasts only a minute or two. Husari is more religious than festive
and gives clear indications of the origin of the
Bihu festival in some ancient fertility cult.
Bihu songs and dances
invariably follow the main item of Husari singing which consists of specially
composed songs of religious themes sung by members of the party
moving in a circle. These songs have a wide range of folk-tunes and are
sung in praise of the great festival with the music of accompanying drums
and various bamboo instruments. It is a dance of youth and of the spirit
of spring, it expresses an exuberant spirit, like a Bihu song, it tends
to express the erotic sentiment more than anything else. The Bihu drummer,
often utters his bols and follows their reproduction on his drum, and
then dances in such a way that he appears to have no bones in his body
at all.
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