Social festival of Bangladesh (part-1)

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 a festival:

It is usually called a festival if one enjoys 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. 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.

*Social festivals of Bangladesh:

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. Among their various religious festivals, the Eid festival of the Muslims, the worship festival of the Hindus, the Buddha-Purnima of the Buddhists and the Christmas of the Christian community are particularly noteworthy. Religious festivals have now become a lot of social festivals because now any religious festival is celebrated in public in Bangladesh. National festivals like Independence Day, Victory Day and International Mother Language Day have been born out of the fighting spirit of Bangladesh and the Bengali nation. Bengali culture and tradition is manifested through the festivals of Baishakhi, Nabanna, Poush-Parvan and Pitha. The Vaisabi festival is the most glorious and significant of the ethnic festivals. Besides, there are various family festivals on different occasions.

*Eid Festival:

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 Festival:

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 autumn Durga puja. Durga Puja is performed on the seventh, eighth and ninth days of the month in the month of Ashwin. Earlier, on the sixth day, the festival of 'Mother's Awakening' 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 Festival:

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. This day, which is full of remembrance, is later celebrated by the entire Buddhist community in a glorious ceremony called 'Buddha-Purnima'. Pravarana and Kathin Chibar Dan is another sacred festival of this society. Pravarana festival is in autumn.