Moh juj
Photograph by BIMAN BORUAH
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One of the events of Magh Bihu
Jungle Ideas, November 19, 2015
Moh juj buffalo fight is one of the interesting events in celebration of Magh Bihu. Sporting events like buffalo fight, wrestling and many sporting events used to take place at the premise of Meji in the Tai Ahom villages in earlier days, including of course, Dhop Khel for the ladies.
The Festival of ‘Bihu’ [mid-January] marks the end of the Harvest season in Assam and to celebrate this, people in Assam organize a festival that is marked by feasts and bonfires called ‘Magh Bihu’. Every year, in the month of January, young people erect makeshift huts, known as ‘Meji’ from bamboo, leaves and thatch in which they eat the food prepared for the feast and then burn the huts the next morning. This marks the onset of the festival of ‘Magh Bihu’ and people indulge in games such as ‘Tekeli bhonga (Pot breaking)’, ‘Moh Juj (Buffalo fighting)’ and ‘Kukura Juj (Cock fighting)’. At night, family members get together around a bonfire and cook dinner and indulge in merry making. Attractions of this feast are the traditional sweets prepared across all Assamese households that include rice cakes known as ‘Shunga Pitha’, ‘Til Pitha’ and sweets of Coconut called as ‘Laru’.
Jan 2017: Organised after defying SC
Assam villagers defy SC, organise buffalo fight, Jan 28 2017: The Times of India
Defying a Supreme Court ban, hundreds of people thronged Morigaon's Ahatguri, 80km from Guwahati, to enjoy the traditional `moh juj' (buffalo fight). The crowd cheered as more than 15 pairs of buffaloes locked horns in a large ground.
However, the Ahatguri Moh Juj Aru Bhogali Utsav Udjapan Samiti (AMJABUUS), which earlier decided to hold the buffalo fight after jallikattu was allowed in Tamil Nadu, stayed away from the event. The Samiti allowed owners and keepers of buffaloes to organize the event `unofficially.' “As with jallikattu, our `moh juj' is also associated with the culture of Assam,“ said AMJABUUS secretary Pranabjyoti Das.
See also
Moh juj
