When is Magh Bihu 2026: Date, Timings, Puja Rituals and Significance of Bhogali Bihu

Magh Bihu 2026: Date

Magh, or Bhogali Bihu, occurs in the middle of January, during the month of Magh, hence the name. It is the last day in the month of Pooh, or Pausha.

This is the same day as Makar Sankranti and signals the beginning of the Sun’s journey northwards – Uttarayan.

The festival will be celebrated on 15 January 2026, falling on a Thursday.

Magh Bihu 2026: Rituals and Significance

The festival celebrations begin one day before the Bhogali Bihu, also known as the Uruka, which is the last day of the lunar month of Pousha.

On this day, a grand feast, known as bhog, is prepared on the first night of the festivities.

Young men construct improvised thatched-roof shelters known as ‘bhelaghar’, and a ‘meji’ (bonfire) is built with hay and bamboo.

Women cook the feast in the bhelaghar, along with exquisite rice cakes known as Sunga Pitha, Til Pitha, and coconut laddoos.

People spend the night beside these mejis singing songs and doing folk dances.

The next morning, people bathe, and the Meji is burnt, which is believed to bring an end to the winter season.

Additionally, the festival, as per the Assamese culture, is marked by traditional rituals like tekeli bhonga (pot-breaking) and buffalo combat, in addition to praying to ancestral gods for benefits.