Festivals are a means of expressing happiness; In a word, it can be called a celebration. In English, the festival can be defined as 'a joyous celebration of the unknown'. Festivals can be family centered as well as society, religion and nation centered. In the evolution of time, the form of the festival changes from corner to corner, the corner disappears and the corner forms a new form. The corner of the festival has the impression of society or nationality, the corner has the impression of religion, and the corner has the impression of politics. The more colorful and diverse the structure of a nation, the richer its multi-dimensional form.
The main basis of the festival is ‘ritual’ and most of the ancient rituals are collective. The history of the evolution of human civilization shows that the main means of human livelihood was agriculture as well as festivals and it was controlled by the lunar month. Ancient rituals had a magical process of subduing supernatural forces, the effects of which can be seen in modern day ceremonies. The festivals that were once associated with religion and which were celebrated spontaneously have now become, for the most part, ceremonial festivals. For example, even a few years ago, Muslims used to spontaneously sing and play during the Eid festival; At present it has got lap. Of course, these festivals are now not only religious in nature, they have become a means of social communication.
The people of Bangladesh are festive. He wants to make life enjoyable, even if only for a short time, even if it is a temporary life. Maybe that is why the poet Ishwar Chandragupta says that by drowning in the Rangers, he wants to get rid of all the sorrows and pains of life and he becomes happy in the festival. This festival is so full of fear in the forest but still full of Bengal. Religious, sometimes familial, sometimes social and sometimes cultural. Now we will discuss the form and nature of these festivals.
The two major religious festivals of the Muslims of Bangladesh are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. Besides, among the festivals which are celebrated ceremoniously, Shabe Barat, Shabe Kadar, Muharram etc. are worth mentioning. Not able among the religious festivals celebrated by the Hindu community are Durga Puja, Janmashtami, Saraswati Puja etc. The festivals celebrated by Buddhists are Buddha Purnima and Christmas festivals of Christians. In About 600 of these were made by Hindus. In fact, until the middle of the nineteenth century, religious festivals were open to the public, which was a celebration. Due to this, the presence of Muslims in Hindu festivals including Durga Puja was noticeable. Many of the festivals organized by the Muslims on the occasion of Shabe Barat and Shabe Qadr are according to the festival. What the devout Muslims do to attain nearness to God through prayers at the mosque at night, going to the shrine and giving alms, etc., gets a lot of festive color. Durga Puja is the most common and largest religious festival of Hindus in Bangladesh. Usually Goddess Durga is worshiped on the sixth day of Ashwin's Shuklapaksha. Then worship is performed on the seventh, eighth and ninth dates and devotion is performed on the tenth day. The main festival of the Buddhists is Buddha Purnima or Baishakhi Purnima. Christians solemnly celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. The main features of the festival are special prayers, banquets and gift distribution in the church.
The festivals that are celebrated nationally in Bangladesh irrespective of religion, caste and creed are 21st February Martyr's Day or International Mother Language Day, 26th March Independence Day, 16th December Victory Day and 1st Baishakh Bengali New Year.
First Day of the Month of Baishakh In other words, there was a huge response in the villages of Bangladesh centered on the Bengali New Year. Ceremonies like Halkhata, Punyah etc. are celebrated in a jakala manner.
Among the cultural festivals held in Bangladesh are Baishakhi Mela, Poush Mela, Ekushey Book Fair held at Bangla Academy throughout the month of February, Dhaka Book Fair, Rabindra and Nazrul Jayanti etc. Besides, National Poetry Festival, Rabindra Sangeet Festival, Lalon Memorial Festival etc. are celebrated with pomp. The role of these programs in the cultural development of the common man is immense.
Festivals like marriage, birth festival, nabanna, annaprasana, khatna, shraddha etc. are confined within the family boundaries. Depending on the economic situation, the size of these programs can be reduced or increased. Birthday ceremonies are celebrated in middle and upper class families. The role of these programs in creating family and social harmony and friendship is wide and far-reaching.
The people of Bangladesh are festive. Generous peace is transmitted among the people through the festival. Violence - Forgetting envy, people wake up to non-communal gatherings. Since the festivals are collective, these festivals celebrated with the community are centered around the generous love for each other. I do not think that there is any alternative to the festival to infuse life into the national life of the Bengalis and to build a society free from communal discrimination.
You have presented the social festival of our country in a very beautiful way in your article.