Indigenous/Tribal peoples’ Festivals in Bangladesh

1. Prepared by
Sheikh Saifullah Ahmed
Student Id-141410
21 September, 2017
English Discipline, Khulna University

2. Overview
 What are the Major Tribal Festivals in Bangladesh?
 Who preform the festivals?
 How are the festivals performed by them?
 Bibliography.

3. Major Tribal Festivals in Bangladesh
 Baisabi Festival
 Biju Festival
 Shangrai Festival
 Baisuk or Baisu Festival
 Ras Utsab
 Hoktoi Festival
 Wangala Festival
 Kothin Chibor Dan Utsab
 Sohrai and Baha Parab Festival
 Kumlang Festival

4. Baisabi Festival
 It commonly celebrated as “Biju”
by the Chakma and Tanchyanga,
 “Shangrai” by the Marmas and
 “Baisuk” or “Baisu” by Tripuras —
 On this special day they cook a
mixed curry with five types of
vegetables, which they call
Pachan.

5. Biju Festival
 Bizu is the most important
socio-religious festival of
the Chakma.
 This festival gave birth to
the Bizu dance.
 The festival lasts for three
days and begins on the last
day of the month of Chaitra.

6. Biju Festival
 The first day of Bizu is
known as Phool Bizu.
The last day, which is
known as Gojjepojje
involves the
performances of different
socio-religious activities.

7. Other Chakma Festivals
 Alphaloni is a most important day for Chakma people.
During Alphaloni everyone takes a break from farming
because it is harvest season.
 Buddha Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day in the
month of Baisakh. It actually encompasses the birth,
enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha.
 Gudu hara OR Ha-do-do is a game played throughout the
Chakma region now becomes a festival.

8. Shangrai Festival
 Marmas have many
festivals during the year,
but Sangrai is regarded as
the biggest celebration
among them.
 It is a tradition to welcome
the new year according to
the Buddhist lunar
calendar.

9. Shangrai Festival
 They all carry the image of
Lord Buddha to the river
front set down the image on
a floating bed. Afterwards,
they complete the bathing
of the image in milk or
sandalwood water and
return with it to set it in the
Temple or in their homes.

10. Shangrai Festival
 This festival held for three
days, and the popular ritual
during the second and third
day of the festival is to splash
water on each other.
 They believe that the water
takes away all the sorrow and
pure up our soul and body, so
one must to greet others
(even strangers) by splashing
water on them.

11. Baisuk or Baisu
 The Baisuk festival
of the Tripura
tribe is celebrated
by worshipping
the god Shiva and
asking for his
blessings.

12. Rasa Festival
 The most vibrant branch of
Manipuri culture is Rasa
dance.
 Manipuri dance is considered
as gentleness, tenderness and
devotional.
 Gopi dance celebrating the
romantic relationship of
Radha and Krishna.
 In the spring, Manipuris
celebrate Holi, when they
drench each other with
colour.

13. Hoktoi Festival
 Hoktoi is the religious
festival of the Jaintia.
They celebrate the
festival for two days.
 The event is celebrated
by the Jaintia to pray for
the peace of the soul
who died and for the
welfare of the next
generation.

14. Wangala Festival
 Wangala is a harvest
festival celebrated by the
Garo tribe
 They give thanks to the
God(Sun-God), and
Goddess for blessing the
people with a rich
harvest.
 Wangala is celebrated in
the months from
September to December.

15. Kothin Chibor Dan Utsab
 The greatest religious festival of
the Buddhist community where
‘viksus’ are given ‘chibor’ or
cloth to wear which the
Buddhists believe as the best of
all gifts.
 Chibor, the cloth that viksus
wear, may be of any six colors:
those of a tree’s roots, trunk,
bark, dry leaves, fruit or flower.

16. Kothin Chibor Dan Utsab
 This utsab or festival is celebrated with religious
passion at Rangamati Rajban Bihara in the Rangamati
hill district.
 The programme includes Buddha puja, Ful puja,
feeding the monks, astaporiskardan, taking Panchshil
and Astashil and praying for world peace.

17. Sohrai and Baha Parab Festival
 The Santals are very proficient
in music and dance.
 Sohrai is the biggest “harvest
festival” of the Santals.
 They pay homage to their gods
and their ancestors to thank
for their crops, their cattle,
their ploughs and everything
that has helped them attain
this harvest.
 The Baha Parab is “flower
festival” of the Santals.

18. Kumlang Festival
 The Murung Tribe celebrate
the festival.
 They believe that a bull
which was sent by God Turai
to carry the religious book
for them had eaten up the
book on the way.
 They therefore hold a special
ceremony called “Nasyat pa”
or “Kumlang” in which a bull
is ceremoniously killed.

19. Bibliography
 Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second
ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
 http://www.uncsd2012.org/thefuturewewant.html
 http://www.un.org/en/ga/69/meetings/indigenous/docume
nts.shtml
 UNESCO. World Cultural Prospects: The 2011 Revision.
Department of Economics and Social Affairs: Population
Division. New York: United Nations Publication, 2011.