EID- UL-FITR

                                                    

In Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, the night before Eid is called Chaand Raat, which means, "Night of the Moon." Muslims in these countries will often visit bazaars and shopping malls with their families for Eid shopping. Women, especially younger girls, will often apply the traditional Mehndi, or henna, on their hands and feet and wear colourful bangles.

The traditional Eid greeting is Eid Mubarak, and it is frequently followed by a formal embrace. Gifts are frequently given — new clothes are part of the tradition — and it is also common for children to be given small sums of money (Eidi) by their elders. It is common for children to offer salam to parents and adult relatives.

After the Eid prayers, it is common for some families to visit graveyards and pray for the salvation of departed family members. It is also common to visit neighbours, family members, specially senior relatives called Murubbis and to get together to share sweets, snacks and special meals including some special dishes that are prepared specifically on Eid. Special celebratory dishes in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh include sivayyan, a dish of fine, toasted sweet vermicelli noodles with milk and dried fruit.[19] In Bangladesh, the dish is called shemai( Bengali: সেমাই ).
Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration, commonly applied during Eid ul-Fitr.

On Eid day before prayers, people distribute a charity locally known as fitra. Many people also avail themselves of this opportunity to distribute zakat, an Islamic obligatory alms tax of 2.5% of one's annual savings, to the needy. Zakat is often distributed in the form of food and new clothes.

In Bangladesh, Sholakia (Template:Bangla) is a locality famous for its Eidgah where the largest congregation of Eid prayer of the country is held on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr, the day of celebration after the fasting month of Ramadan. Around 300,000 people from all over Bangladesh join the prayer on every Eid.
In India, some popular places for Muslims to congregate to celebrate Eid at this time include the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, Aishbagh Idgah in Lucknow; in Kolkata there is a prayer held on Red Road. Muslims turn out in the thousands, as there is a lot of excitement surrounding the celebration of this festival. It is common for non-Muslims to visit their Muslim friends and neighbours on Eid to convey their good wishes. Eid is celebrated grandly in the city of Hyderabad which has rich Islamic Heritage. Hyderabadi haleem a type of meat stew is a popular dish during the month of Ramadan, it takes centre stage and becomes the main course at Iftar(the breaking of the fast).

EID FESTIVAL IN BANGLADESH

                                                        

As the most important religious festival for the majority Muslims, the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr has become a part of the culture of Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh declares holiday for three days on Eid-ul Fitar. People living in towns having their families or parents in villages go to their country homes to meet relatives and celebrate the festival together. All outgoing public transport from the major cities become highly crowded and in many cases the fares tend to rise in spite of government restrictions.

Adult Muslim males in Bangladesh assemble at the Eid Ghah for prayer in the morning of the Eid day

The biggest Muslim festival observed throughout the world. This is held on the day following the Ramadan or the month of fasting.

On Eid day, Eid prayers are held all over the country, in open areas like fields or else inside mosques. In Dhaka big congregations are held at the National Eidgah and many mosques.All major mosques including the Baitul Mukarram also holds prayers. The biggest congregation of Bangladesh is held at Sholakia in Kishoreganj, where about half a million people join the Eid prayer.[1] After the Eid prayers, people return home, visit each other’s home and eat sweet dishes called Shirni. Throughout the day gentlemen embrace each other. It is also customary for junior members of the society to touch the feet of the seniors, and seniors returning blessings (sometimes with a small sum of money as a gift).

In urban areas people play music, visit each other’s houses and eat special food. Watching movies and television programs has also become an integral part of Eid celebration in urban areas. All local TV channels air special program for several days for this occasion. Eid brings happiness for the people.

SPORTS IN BANGLADESH

Soccer, cricket and kabaddi. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh. Cricket is a game which has a massive and passionate following in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has joined the elite group of countries eligible to play Test cricket since 2000. The Bangladesh national cricket team goes by the nickname of the Tigers—after the Royal Bengal Tiger.

The people of Bangladesh enjoy watching live sports. Whenever there is a cricket or football match between popular local teams or international teams in any local stadium significant number of spectators gather to watch the match live. The people also celebrate major victories of the national team with a great enthusiasm for the live game. Victory processions are the most common element in such celebrations.

HINDU’S FESTIVEL IN BANGLADESH

                                                        


The biggest religious festival of the Hindu community in Bangladesh is the festival of Durga Puja. Hindus participate in this festival with great devotion. Durga Puja is an old festival but it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty exactly how old it is. The oldest manifestation of goddess Durga, who slew the Mahisasura, belonged to the fifteenth century AD. A series of festivals, centering on Durga Puja, is held in Bangladesh.    
Usually, on the sixth lunar day of the bright fortnight in the Bengali month of Ashwin, the ceremonial awakening of the 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) takes place on the tenth day. People exchange greetings during a period of fifteen days after the immersion of the image of the deity.

On the following full-moon day, Laksmi Puja takes place. Before that, on the new moon day usually in the month of Kartik, Kali Puja is performed. Then, on the last day of the Bengali month of Kartik, Kartik Puja (worship of god Kartik who is the commander-in-chief of heavenly forces) is performed.The series of Pujas, which starts in Ashwin with Durga, comes to an end with Saraswati.

The celebration of Janmastami (lord Krishna’s birthday) is an old festival of this region, particularly of Dhaka City. In almost all the regions of the subcontinent, this day is observed in some manner as a religious festival.

PAHELA BAISHAKH IN BANGLADESH

                                              

The advent of Bengali New Year is gaily observed all over the country. The Day (mid-April) is a public holiday. Most colorful daylong gatherings along with arrangement of cultural program and traditional Panta at Ramna Park, Dhaka is a special feature of Pahela Baishakh. Tournaments, boat races etc. are held in cities and villages amidst great jubilation. Many fairs are held in Dhaka and other towns and villages.

Pahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bangla Calendar. It is usually celebrated on the 14th of April. Pahela Baishakh marks the start day of the crop season. Usually on Pahela Baishakh, the home is thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned; people bathe early in the morning and dress in fine clothes. They spend much of the day visiting relatives, friends, and neighbours and going to fair. Fairs are arranged in many parts of the country where various agricultural products, traditional handicrafts, toys, cosmetics, as well as various kinds of food and sweets are sold. The fairs also provide entertainment, with singers, dancers and traditional plays and songs. Horse races, bull races, bullfights, cockfights, flying pigeons, boat racing were once popular. All gatherings and fairs consist a wide spread of Bengali food and sweets.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY

International Mother Language 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. All subsequent movements including struggle for independence owe their origin to the historic language movement. The Shahid Minar (martyrs monument) is the symbol of sacrifice for Bangla, the mother tongue. The day is closed holiday. Mourning procedure begin in Dhaka at midnight with the song Amar vaier raktay rangano ekushay February (21st February, the day stained with my brothers’ blood). Nationals pay homage to the  martyrs by placing flora wreaths at the Shahid Minar. Very recently the day has been declared World Mother Language Day by UNESCO.

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. The fair has also become an integral part of the culture of Bangladesh.

To commemorate this movement, Shaheed Minar, a solemn and symbolic sculpture, was erected in the place of the massacre. On the morning of February 21 each year, people from all walks of life including the national leaders pay tribute to the martyrs by leaving flowers at Shaheed Minar. A very melodious and melancholy song, Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano, written by Abdul Gaffar Choudhury and composed by Altaf Mahmud, is played repeatedly in electronic media and cultural gatherings throughout the month, and especially on February 21. This song, too, has become a symbolic mark of culture of Bangladesh. The people of Bangladesh are feel proud about this day.

BOOK FAIR IN BANGLADESH (ekushe boi mela)

                                            




History
Ekushey Book Fair Dhaka 2002

Muktodhara Publishing house started a little sell in front of Bangla Academy in the 21st February 1972,the Shaheed Day, later International Mother Language Day. Chittaranjan Saha of Muktodhara took the initiative.Later, other book publishers joined there unofficially. Gradually it became official and the most popular book fair of Bangladesh. Bangla Academy took over organization of the fair in 1978. In 1984 it was named Amar Ekushey Book Fair.Notably, in 1990s, another national book fair called Dhaka Boi Mela was initiated. This book fair is organized by government in February every year.Importance

Although Ekushey Boi Mela started merely as a book fair, it has evolved into a national cultural festival reflecting the cultural spirit of the modern Bengali nation.In addition to book sales, Bangla Academy organizes literary and cultural events everyday. Thousands of people gather everyday not only to purchase books but to spend time in the company of books and their authors with a patriotic zeal. There is no entry fee. Publishers of Bangladesh take year-long preparation to publish a huge number of books during this month. Profit is not the consideration. In 2008, 362 book stalls have been set up by publishers, book sellers and such other organization including Bangla Academy and Nazrul Institute. The venue of the book festival and outside is decorated with banners, festoons and placards in conformity with the spirit of Amar Ekushey. The entire fair venue is free from smoking and polythene.It is the cultural reunion of Bangladesh where nearly every writing-related person comes. Attracted by discounted price (25%), readers rush there. Given the importance, generally head of government inaugurates the book fair on the first day of February. TVs make life broadcast of the inaugural ceremony.Structure

Usually, the fair continues from 1 February to the 28th. It is limited only in Bangla Academy's boundary. The Ministry of Culture is in control of the fair while the Academy does the ground work. Usually the Prime Minister (or the Chief Adviser in case of Caretaker government) inaugurates the fair. Between 300 and 400 publishing houses takes part. Only the Bangladeshi booksellers can join who have at least 25 books of their own. There is Nazrul Manch, a corner dedicated to poet Kazi Nazrul Islam; a fixed place for month-long cultural meetings, a Lekhok Kunjo, a dedicated place for writers and, also, a media center for the journalists. Nowadays it became harder to accommodate the huge crowd and the increasing number of publishers. In 2008, the theme of daily conference is 'Bengali Literature and Culture - Achievement of three decades.Ekushey Boi Mela 2008