The Dwijing Festival, also known as the Aie River Festival,[1] is an annual river festival held on the banks of the Aie river near the Hagrama bridge in Chirang district (within the Bodoland Territorial Region)[2] in the Indian state of Assam.[3][1] The festival takes place over a period of 12 days from December 27 to January 7 every year.[2][4][5]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
The name Dwijing derives from the Bodo language (dwi - water, jing - riverbank), spoken locally.[2] The festival is celebrated on the banks of the Aie river, which translates to 'mother' in Bodo. The river has a significant impact on the lives of the locals.[4]
History[edit | edit source]
The festival, a joint project of the Assam Tourism Department, Assam Tourism Development Corporation and Bodoland Tourism,[6][4] was launched in 2016 with the objective of promoting local river tourism and highlighting the culture and customs of the Bodoland Territorial Region.[1][7][8][9] The fourth and most recent edition of the festival was organized from 27 December 2019 to 7 January 2020.
The festival[edit | edit source]
The festival is primarily associated with the culture of the Bodo ethnic group.[10]
It is usually held near the Hagrama bridge, the longest rural river bridge in Assam.[4] It features ethnic trade, culture, cuisine, tradition, games and sports, adventure activities, river rafting, helicopter rides and cultural extravaganzas, among others.[11] It also emphasizes on underlining the beauty and cultural richness of the Bodoland Territorial Region.[4][6]
Multiple Bollywood celebrities have performed at the festival.[1] The festival further aims to generate employment opportunities, provide livelihood to the locals and ameliorate economic conditions.[9][8][12]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ā 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hassan, Ali Fauz. "Assam's Dwijing fest to begin next week". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Staging 'DWI' during DWIJING Festival". Wildlife Trust of India. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā "Aie River (Dwijing Festival) | Chirang District | Government Of Assam, India". chirang.assam.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "River tourism project 'Dwijing Festival' to begin on Dec 27". Business Standard. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā Karmakar, Sumir. "Enchanting Dwijing festival calling tourists to Assam". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ā 6.0 6.1 "Dwijing Festival of Chirang | Chirang District | Government Of Assam, India". 2021-04-16. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā "Dwijing Festival begins at Aie River in Chirang". Assam Times. 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā 8.0 8.1 NEWS, NE NOW (2019-12-27). "Dwijing Festival begins in Assam". NORTHEAST NOW. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
- ā 9.0 9.1 "Dwijing festival will help economy: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal". The Times of India. 2018-12-30. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ā "Festivals Of North East India - Cultural And Music Festivals". 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ā "Dwijing festival wins 5 awards at WOW Awards Asia 2020". The Times of India. 2020-08-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ā https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/books-and-art/110119/assam-3rd-edition-of-dwijing-festival-celebrated-to-promote-river-t.html