Buka Bhaona (), also known as Pekjatra is a special bhaona held in conjunction with the Nandotsav on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami. The event is being held at Puronigudam in

Nagaon district Nagaon district is an administrative district in the Indian state of Assam. At the time of the 2011 census it was the most populous district in Assam, before Hojai district was split from it in 2016. History Bordowa was the birthplace of the ...

and Jamugurihat in

Sonitpur district Sonitpur district ron: ˌsə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊə or ˌʃə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊəis an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters is located at Tezpur. Etymology The name of the district is derived from a story found ...

respectively. There are also many others in

Barpeta Barpeta is a town in Barpeta district of the state of Assam in India and is district headquarters. The city is located north west of Guwahati and is one of the major cities in Western Assam. It is also called Satra ''Nagari'' (Temple town) of ...

Majuli Majuli (also spelled Majoli) is the largest river island in Assam, a state in northeastern India. It is bordered by the Brahmaputra River to the South and East, the Subansiri River to the West, and an anabranch of the Brahmaputra River. The is ...

, Charaideu and other areas. Pekjatra- Fun in mud

Etymology

The tradition of Boka Bhaona is associated with the story of the joy in Gokul at the time of the birth of Krishna. It is believed that the road to Gokul became muddy and slippery due to heavy rains during the birth of Krishna and the butter, honey and oil brought by the devotees who went to see Krishna at the house of Nandaraja the next day. In this sense, the birth of Krishna is celebrated by symbolically pulling mud.

Rituals of Observance

The festival is celebrated mainly in the customs of the Mahapurushia through Nam-Prasang and Bhaona culture. Women usually do not participate in the mud-throwing ceremony, but both men and women are involved in the main ceremony. It is customary to artificially muddy a piece of mud and pour butter and honey on it. The devotees first circumambulate the mud pond, offer obeisances and throw mud at each other. There are many different types of mud that are collected from the people who come to see the bhaona.

References

{{reflist Culture of Assam Ekasarana Dharma Nagaon district Sonitpur district