FESTIVALS OF BANGLADESH / Our National Festivals (Paragraph / Composition / Essay )

Paragraph Writing

FESTIVALS OF BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is a developing country. The people of this country may not be wealthy but they are rich in their heart. Inhabitants of this country have long been reputed for their hospitability. They pass their life with many festivities. People of different cast and creed live together in peace and harmony in this country. That’s why we see a great variety of festivals being celebrated by them. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country. ‘Eid-Ul-Fitr’ and ‘Eid-Ul-Azha’ are the major religious festivals of the Muslims. The Hindus celebrate ‘Durga Puja’ as their main religious festival. ‘Buddha Purnima’ is the chief religious program of the Buddhists. The Christians celebrate ‘Christmas Day’ as their principal festival. The country commemorates some other festivals which people of all walks of life observe together regardless of all their difference. 25th March is celebrated as ‘Independent Day’. The declaration of the independence of Bangladesh was proclaimed on this day of 1971. 16th December is our ‘Victory Day’. We gained freedom from the occupying Pakistani force on this day of 1971. Both of these events are observes with profound respect by the people of Bangladesh. ‘Pahela Baishakh’ is a program which is very significant in out national life. It is the first day of a new Bangla year. This day is celebrated with many cultural programs and in some places by arranging ‘Mela’. This program represents the pen-picture of the nation’s national culture. Hence, it is our national festival. All this festivals indeed, makes us a very colourful nation.

Composition / Essay Writing

Our National Festivals

“Baro mashe tero parbon” is a familiar proverb in Bangladesh. It means that thirteen festivals are held in twelve months. It implies that in Bangladesh there are more festivals than the number of months in a year. Our national festivals are many and varied. Some are religious festivals, some are secular and some are historical.

The Muslims observe the festival of Eid ul-Fitr at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. After the prayer people embrace one another irrespective of caste and creed to express their fraternity, friendship and fellow-feeling. Another important festival of the Muslims is Eid ul-Azha. On this day after the congregational prayers, the people slaughter sacrificial animals and distribute meat to the neighbours, the relatives and the poor.

Minor festivals like the Muharram are also observed by the Muslims. Eid-e- Miladunnabi is also a national day in Bangladesh. Prophet Muhammad (SM) was born on the day. He also breathed his last on the same day. The day is a national holiday, and food is offered to the destitutes and the orphans. Prayers are offered in Milad mehfils in the afternoon.

The Hindus have many religious festivals which they observe with a great deal of pomp and grandeur. Among these festivals, we may mention the Durga Puja, the Saraswati Puja, the Laxmi Puja and the Kali Puja. On these occasions, the Hindus invite the people of all communities to share their joys with them.

During all these festivals, the people of different communities co-operate exchange greetings and share the rejoicings. This shows that the people of Bangladesh live in an uncommon communal harmony and brotherhood.

The historical festivals include the celebration of the 21st February, as an International Mother Language Day, Independence Day and the Victory Day. These days are celebrated all over the country in a befitting manner and inspire the people with a high sense of patriotism and a renewed zeal to serve the nation to achieve the national objectives.

Among the secular festivals, the Pahela Boishakh is the most important.On the occasion of national festivals, different programmes are held by various organisations including the government. Radio and television broadcast various programmes to add to the joy of the people. The newspapers bring out special supplements and the magazines publish special news. On some occasions, colourful processions and rallies are brought out by some organizations. Cultural functions and discussion meetings are also held in some distinguished institutions. In fact, people all over the country are held in high spirits and excitement throughout the whole festive day.

In short, festivals fill our lives with colors and enthusiasm. They bring us closer every year and eliminate any feelings of communal hatred. Further, they strengthen the bonds of the community and remove the malice from people’s hearts. Therefore, festivals are quite important and must be celebrated with passion.

Festivals

Festivals refer to a day or period of the year when people stop working to celebrate a special event. Festivals are common to all societies and cultures. With the change of social and economic structures, the natures of festivals also change. Some of the festivals bear the mark of the community and nationality, some have the stamp of religion, and again some bear the impression of politics. The festivals, which got started in the primitive society centering on the prayer for food, have now been filled with various colours and varieties.

The two main religious festivals of the Muslims of Bangladesh are eid-ul fitr and eid-ul azha. They have become occasions of mutual exchange of pleasantries among friends and relatives. Eid-ul Fitr is observed after the end of Ramadan. The social meaning of Eid is joyful festival, while its etymological meaning denotes returning time and again. Like all other social festivals, Eid returns every year. So is the case with Eid-ul Azha. The same can be said of hajj.

The biggest religious festival of the Hindu community in Bengal was and still is the durga puja. Hindus participate in it with great enthusiasm. The ceremonial awakening of goddess Durga takes place. Thereafter, Puja is performed for three days on the seventh, eighth and ninth, and the immersion of the image of the goddess Durga with her companions is held on the tenth day. On the following full-moon day, laksmi puja takes place. On the last day of the Bengali month of Kartik, Kartik Puja is performed. On the fifth lunar day of the bright fortnight in the Bengali month of Magh, saraswati puja is held. Before that, on the new moon day usually in the month of Kartik, kali puja is performed.

The celebration of the Janmastami is an old festival of this region, particularly of Dhaka town. Both the Hindus and the Muslims take part in it. The procession, which would be brought out in Dhaka town, was renowned throughout the whole of Bengal. It is said that Shrikrsna was born on the eighth lunar day of the dark fortnight in the Bengali month of Bhadra. So this day is very sacred to the Hindus.

The main festival of the Buddhists is buddha purnima. The birth of Buddha, his adoption of asceticism, attainment of supreme enlightenment, nirvana – all these occurred on the full-moon lunar day in the month of Baishakh, and hence this is the most important and solemn festival of the Buddhists. It is assumed that the Baisakhi Purnima is being celebrated in Bangladesh with great splendour for more than one thousand years.

Christmas day or the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ is observed. The Christmas festival lasts for a single day. The main components of this festival are special prayers offered in churches, arrangements of feasts and offering of gifts among friends and relatives. Now a day the number of Buddhists or Christians in Bangladesh is not very significant, and hence their festivals are also observed somewhat without much fanfare.

However, the biggest function on the first day of Baisakh is the holding of fair. In the fairs arranged in Dhaka and also in other towns and urban areas, along with the earthen and handicraft items, book fairs are also held. Many publishing houses present books to the clients as tokens of New Year’s good wishes. Men wear white pyjamas and panjabi. Many town people start the day with the traditional breakfast of panta bhat, green chillies, onion and fried Hilsa fish. Special programmes are broadcast and telecast on radio and television and special supplements are brought out by the newspapers

The Martyrs’ Day, the Independence Day and the Victory Day are the national days of Bangladesh. Every year these days are observed with great festivities. Birth anniversaries of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam have also turned into common cultural festivals of our country. Bizu festival, held in Chaitra-the last month of Bengali year, is a significant festival of the Chakma community of Bangladesh. However, a festival common to all classes of people and celebrated nationally with much grandeur is the observance of the New year’s Day. Barsha Baran, BasantaBaran, Nabanna Utshob etc. are sonic other common festivals of Bangladesh.

Baisabi Festival Baisabi is the main social festival of the indigenous people living in the hill districts of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari. This festival is celebrated by the Chakma and Tanchyanga as “Biju”, by Marmas as “Shangrai”, Tripuras as “Baisuk” or “Baisu”. | Water festival, a joyful part of Baisabi| Biju is a festival celebrated by the Chakmas and Tanchyangas for three consecutive days- the last two days of Chaitra and the first day of Baisakh. They never kill any living creature during these three days. They celebrate the last day of Chaitra as the main festival day.

The observation of Milad-un-Nabi is an important Muslim religious festivity. The term itself means the birthday of the Prophet (Sm) of Islam. But this is also the day of his death. Various religious, socio-cultural organizations and political parties held various programmes, including Milad Mahfil, discussion meetings and Qurankhwani to mark the day. Islamic Foundation also holds programmes on the occasion.

Language Movement Day is a unique part of the culture of Bangladesh. Every year on February 21 this day is observed to pay tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to establish Bengali as the official language of then East Pakistan in 1952. The mood of the day is sad and humble. The celebration of Language Movement Day goes on the entire month of February. Ekushey book fair is a book fair arranged to mark this occasion every year.

Birth anniversary of the noble laureate Rabindranath tagore on 25th Baishakah (7 May) and some of the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on 11th Jaystha (25 May) are observed throughout the country. Different cultural programs are arranged and discussions are held on those occasions.

Thousands of young people, both male and female, are taking part in the twin celebrations of Pohela Falgun and Valentine‘sDay welcoming the advent of spring and sharing the great day of love. The youngsters celebrate the occasions wearing colorful dresses, carrying flowers in their hands and singing love songs as

Fokir Lalon Shah, a prominent philosopher poet in the cultural history of Bangladesh. Every year, on the first week of April, a fair is organized on the eve of his birth anniversary at Kushtia. The akhra is decorated colorfully during this occasion and thousands of his devotees from different places of the country gather here to celebrate the day. Singers of Lalon Academy with ektara and other musical instrument, perform Lalon‘s song all through the night for three days.

Bengali weddings are traditionally in five parts: first it is the bride and groom’s Mehendi Shondha, the bride’s Gaye Holud, the groom’s Gay Holud, the Beeya and the Bou Bhaat. These often take place on separate days. Bride’s friends and family apply turmeric paste to her body as a part of Haye Holud of bride, and they are traditionally all in matching clothes mostly orange in color.

Bangladesh is a country where every religion’s people live together like brothers and sisters. They have lots of religious festivals. Among them some of the major festivals are discussed above. Every year these religious festivals observed with respect and dignity. These festivals not only observed in City but also in villages too. During those festival days, every religious people seem to be happy and friendly. There are to conflicts among them. This can be a great example of brotherhood