Composition: Festival of Bengal || Social Festival of Bangladesh || Bengali festival

 

Composition: Bengali festival (Bengali festival)

Introduction:

" Every day people are small and lonely but on festival days people are big, on
that day they are big together with all people, on
that day they are great by feeling the power of all humanity." - Rabindranath Tagore.                                   

Humans are social creatures and human beings live in a socialized state. The people of Bangladesh are no exception to this traditional rule. People organize various festivals to share each other's happiness, sorrow, joy and pain in the society. Various social festivals are now the constant companions of the people of Bangladesh. These social festivals of the Bengalis have made this country more lively, a land of beauty full of diversity.

What is the festival?

It is usually called a festival to enjoy a communal or family gathering. So festival means any joyous occasion. However, the colors and forms of joy of different festivals are different. A festival is accomplished through the participation of the public or many people. English Bengali means festival. However, the word festival is used in a slightly broader sense. It is related to society, the individual or family is secondary here. The festival can be divided into different categories based on the occasion and the spirit of the event. Such as- religious festivals, social festivals, cultural festivals, family festivals, national festivals etc.

The purpose of the festival:

The purpose of the Bengali festival is full of love and affection. Happy spiritual union of human beings with human beings. The joy of life, creates new motivation.

 Classification of festivals:
 
Festivals come into the life of Bengalis in harmony with the natural beauty of Ruposhi Bengal and carry different features.

This Bengali festival can be divided into five categories 
namely-
a) religious festival b) season festival
c) social festival d) state festival. E) Cultural festivals

A) Religious festivals

● Eid utsabah

Eid is the biggest festival of the Muslim community. They celebrate Eid twice a year. One is Eid-ul-Fitr and the other is Eid-ul-Azha. After observing a month of fasting in the month of Ramadan, devout Muslims observe Eid-ul-Fitr in a joyous atmosphere. By sharing each other's happiness and joy, they create a strong bond of brotherhood. Two months and ten days after this Eid comes the second Eid i.e. Eid-ul-Azha. It is an occasion to express the glory of sacrifice. This festival is celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jilhaj. Both Eid festivals are celebrated in Bangladesh through massive arrangements. At this time, forgetting the differences, everyone exchanged love shoulder to shoulder.

● Puja Utsav

Durga Puja is the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community. Durga Puja is celebrated every year in autumn in Bangladesh. For this reason this puja is also called Durga Puja in autumn. Durga Puja is performed on the seventh, eighth and ninth days of the new moon in the month of Ashwin. Earlier, on the sixth day, the 'Mother's Awakening' festival was celebrated. The biggest puja 'Sandhipuja' is performed at the juncture of Ashtami and Nabami. On the tenth day, the ritual of Durga Puja ends with the immersion of the idol in a nearby pond or river through a religious procession. Other notable Hindu worships include Chait Puja, Rath Yatra Utsav, Janmashtami, Swaraswati Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja etc. All worship strengthens the bond of equality and friendship among Hindus.

● Buddha Purnima and Pravarana Utsav

The biggest festival of the Buddhist religious community is Buddha-Purnima. The Buddhapurnima festival begins with the remembrance of a great man who came about two and a half thousand years ago. Buddha was born in Lumbini Shalban, Nepal on a full moon day of Baishakhi. The entire Buddhist community later celebrated this day with a glorious ceremony called 'Buddha-Purnima'. Pravarana and Kathin Chibar Dan is another sacred festival of this society. Pravarana festival is in autumn.

● Christmasঃ

Christians celebrate Christmas, their biggest religious holiday, on December 25 every year. In western countries this day is known as 'Christmas Day'. Rejoicing and celebration on the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ is the main theme of the whole event.

B) Season festival

● Baishakhi festival

Bengali New Year and Baishakhi Mela are the biggest social festivals carrying the cultural heritage of Bangladesh and Bengali nation. Every year on the 1st of Baishakh, the Baishakhi festival is celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. Leaving behind the sorrows and pains of the whole year, 1st Baishakh brings a new message. This festival is the oldest tradition of Bangladesh. By celebrating the day, Bengalis try to retain their ancient traditions and cultural flows. New Year's account was introduced on this day through 'Halkhata' ceremony. Baishakhi festival is the greatest of all public festivals.

● Nabanna and Pitha Festivalঃ

Nabanna festival is celebrated in the month of Agrahayan in Bangladesh. Nabanna is basically a festival to express the joy of the farmers. Everyone rejoiced at the joy of bringing new grain home. Then comes the occasion of Poush-Parvan or Pitha festival. This festival is still associated with the rural society of Bangladesh as a messenger of joy. The traditional kite festival is also held in connection with Poush.

 ● Vaisabi festivalঃ

Vaisabi is the name of the most important and big festival of the small ethnic groups living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region of Bangladesh. The festival is named 'Vaisabi' after the first letters of the three major ethnic groups of Tripura, Marma and Chakmas. Vaisabi is a combination of Vaishnu of Tripura, Sangrai of Marmas and Biju festival of Chakmas. This festival continues for a total of three days every year from the day before the Bengali New Year till the next day. Through this festival, they organize farewell and New Year celebrations at the same time.

C) Social festivals:

The Bengali nation is always festive. From time to time they attend various festivals on different occasions. Evidence of the festivity of the people of this country can be found from the history of Bangladesh. There is a wonderful combination of different religious communities in Bangladesh. The social life of Bengal is also celebrated with festivals. Social festivals are celebrated centering on some personal events. After the birth of a child, Akika ritual, circumcision, etc. are the traditional images of Bengali society. Among the social festivals of Bengal, religious festivals like marriage, feasting, birthday, vaifonta, jamaisasthi etc. have now become a lot of social festivals as any religious festival is now celebrated in Bangladesh.

D) State festivals:

● Independence and Victory Day celebrations

Bangladesh is the product of nine months of bloody war. The golden boys of this country started the war for independence on March 26, 1971 against Pakistan. On December 16 of the same year, they gave the world an independent state called Bangladesh with a heroic victory. These two days carry immense significance in the life of Bangladeshis. Therefore, the great Independence Day was celebrated on 26th March and the great Victory Day on 16th December nationally with great pomp and ceremony.

● International Mother Language Day udayapanah

Bangladesh is the only country in the history of the world where people were martyred for their language movement. The Bengali language was established on 21 February 1952 through a massive movement under the slogan 'I want Bangla as the state language'. International Mother Language Day is observed every year to commemorate the love shown by the brave sons of Bengal towards the Bengali language through their sacrifices. On the occasion of this day, a month-long Ekushey Book Fair was organized at Bangla Academy. Moreover, the people of Bangladesh celebrate this International Day with great pomp and ceremony through various cultural events.

E) Cultural festivals

Bengali culture and tradition is very old. However, it has also been modernized, its range has increased much more in modern times. Journeys, sports, dramas, circuses, fairs, New Year, concerts, book fairs, Rabindra-Jayanti, Nazrul-Jayanti etc. are from Bangladesh. Notable cultural festivals.

Significance of social festivals

Entertainment is an essential element of human life. People's minds are thrilled in a pleasant environment through entertainment. Mentally, they always get a chance to stay fresh and lively. And the most important source of healthy human entertainment is social festivals. In the formality of the festival, people forget their sorrows and rejoice. Festivals are basically a joyful expression of people's social consciousness. It is not possible for everyone in the society to get together without festivals. There is no substitute for social festivities to create beautiful relationships between people. Therefore, the significance of the festival in human life is deep and wide.

 Festival utility:

Festivals not only give joy to human gathering, but also keep the physical and mental energy fresh by invigorating the soul, giving new motivation. The festival also focuses on human creativity. There is a wealth of music, dance, painting, architecture, sculpture, film. The economic usefulness of the festival is not less. People of many professions directly or indirectly benefit from the massive economic activities that centered on the festival.

Conclusion:

The flow of different festivals in Bangladesh is continuous from the past to the present. The Bengali festival of insanity will continue in the future as well. The festival has become a symbol of unity and harmony of the people of Bangladesh irrespective of party affiliation and religion and caste. Social festivals are a source of pure joy, the sense of brotherhood in Bengali nationalism is very strong for social festivals.