Food, Ritual and Belief: An Exploration of the Religious and Cultural Significance of Narzi and Ondla among the Bodo Community of Assam

Chinaisath Boro

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.90455

Food, Ritual and Belief: An Exploration of the Religious and Cultural Significance of Narzi and Ondla among the Bodo Community of Assam

Author(s)	Mr. Chinaisath Boro
Country	India
Abstract	The study examines two traditional Bodo cuisines Narzi and Ondla, treated as distinct cuisine within Bodo community. The study also explores their socio-cultural and ritual significance within Bodo society. Narzi is prepared from dried jute leaves and Ondla is prepared from ground rice flour and they are not merely food items that needs for nutritional fulfilment but are embedded within the religious beliefs, cultural practice and social life of the Bodo community. Moving beyond the understanding of food as a means of satisfying hunger, the study explores how particular foods acquire symbolic meanings and significance within specific social and ritual contexts. Drawing on the foodway’s perspective, the study analyses food as cultural practice through which social relationships, religious beliefs, traditions and collective identities are expressed and reproduced. The study adopted qualitative approach to understand the meaning embedded with foods and data was collected using purposive sampling through semi-structured in-dept interviews, observation and secondary sources like Books in Bodo language about food preparation. Thematic analysis of data indicate that Narzi holds particular significance in death related rituals, while Ondla occupies an important place in the traditional Bodo wedding ceremony known as Hathasuni Haba among the followers of Bathouism. The study further finds that both foods have significance in agricultural practices, particularly during the pre-harvesting period of rice. These findings demonstrate that traditional Bodo cuisines are embedded in broader system of ritual, religious, agricultural and social meanings highlighting the role of foodways in sustaining, transmitting cultural practices and collective identity.
Keywords	Foodways, Bodo Society, Bathouism, Cultural Practice, Collective Identity
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-24
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.90455

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Food, Ritual and Belief: An Exploration of the Religious and Cultural Significance of Narzi and Ondla among the Bodo Community of Assam

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