Question: Write a paragraph about ‘A Religious Festival in Bangladesh’ by answering the questions below.

1. Why do people observe a religious festival?
2. What are the festivals that Muslims observe?
3. What are the festivals that Hindus observe?
4. What festivals do Buddhists observe?

Answer: The followers of every religion have some religious festivals. They observe some rituals to celebrate the religious festivals. They pray to God with devotion at certain religious festivals. The followers also have some pleasure and delight on these occasions. People gather and observe these religious festivals in a body. The Muslims observe Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. The Hindus observe Durgapuja, Kalipuja, Luxmipuja, etc. The Buddhists observe “Buidhya Purnima, Maghi Purnima, etc. The Christians observe the Christmas day with great solemnity and fervor. Muslims all over the world, believe, that Shab-e-Barat is a night of great significance. Many tribal people in Bangladesh have their religious festivals too. So, Bangladesh wears a festive look all around the year for one or another religious festival.

As far as the major festivals are concerned, I have to agree that they are too commercialized.

Eid al-Fitr is one of the most important festivals for Muslims in this country. Prior to this important occasion is the month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. It is during this month that the advertisers ceaselessly ply their wares to the point of madness. Everything is dressed up, spruced up, and made to look good so that they sell. And do they sell. The supermarkets are filled to capacity by shoppers who just about go berserk buying things for the festival.

How much of the things the shoppers buy are really necessary? That will depend on what is deemed necessary. However, it would seem that with all the cheap sales and competitions that are held regularly, much of the things that shoppers buy are really unnecessary. They just buy them because the offers are too good to be refused.

Perhaps if you look around your house you may find that you have things that you once bought but never found the time or need to use them.

So the situation is the same as Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas, and other festivals. Every year when these festivals come around, the people go on a splurge of buying. It has become customary to go shopping before a festival. A person who does not go on such a spree is considered a real tightwad.

The shopping complexes and supermarkets are well-versed with this festival game. When Chinese New Year is around, new year songs are played non-stop and all sorts of goodies are on display. Any shopper who ventures into such a supermarket is almost certain to get into the new year or buying spirit and before he or she knows it, the supermarket has made yet another killing. Such is the power of advertisement.

Come, Hari Raya, the supermarkets change their tunes to Hari Raya songs and appropriate goodies. The shoppers are again beguiled and taken in. The situation is modified yet again for Christmas and other occasions. The shoppers are constantly fed this diet of buying more than necessary. No wonder supermarkets and shopping com-plexes thrive.

So the real spirit of the festivals has been cleverly modified and overwhelmed by advertisers until the festivals are not much more than big shopping sprees, much to the delight of manufacturers and producers. There is not much anyone can do about it because no one really cares what the real spirit behind the festivals are. What each is concerned about is that some supermarket is offering great discounts or giant sale and these offers are not to be missed. Would you pass up such offers?

Question: A report on Drama festival in Jhenidah.

Drama Festival

Answer: Jhenidah, 20 January 2007: A seven-day-long Jatiya Natya Utsob (National Drama Festival) concluded at the local Shilpakala Academy auditorium recently.

The festival was arranged by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. A total of seven drama groups from various parts of the country took part in the festival. Each group presented a drama during the festival from January 12 to January 18.

On a concluding day, Ankur Natya Academy, the leading drama group of Jhenidah district, presented a drama titled ‘Kabar’. The other drama groups who presented dramas in the festival were Progoti Sangha of Dinajpur, Chandpur Drama of Chandpur, Sangket Natya Dal of Tangail, Theatre Circle of Munshiganj, Pravati Natya Goshti of Barisal and Rangpur Natya Kendro of Rangpur. Thousands of drama fans enjoyed all the dramas.

Question: Write a short composition about “The First Day of Bengali New Year“.

Answer: The first day of Baishakh marks the beginning of Bengali new year. This day is becoming more popular among the people irrespective of caste or creed. It is not a religious festival. It has a universal appeal as a social festival.

The tradition for the celebration of New Year’s Day is found among many nations of the world. The people of Iran observe “Naorose” as the first day of the new year. The people of Europe also observe the 1st day of New Year to welcome the happy new year.

Bengali New Year’s Day on the 1st day of Baishakh was introduced during the reign of Mughal Emperor Ai kbar. He introduced the day for the collection of tax (Khanna) from the After an independence of Bangladesh, the Bengali New Year’s Day has been declared an official holiday.

The day first begins at dawn under the banyan tree of Ramna with the songs of Tagore w peasantry. Nazrul welcoming the Bengali new year. Traders and shopkeepers open ‘Halkhatat a name account book and offer sweets to their customers and clients. The people of both rural d urban areas observe the day by arranging various kinds of cultural functions. Many people enjoy Bengali food (dish) on this day such as “Pantha-Ilish”.

In rural areas, the fairs arranged on Pahela Baishakh or ‘Bangla Naba-Barsha are very attractive. Different kinds of handicrafts made by rural people of various professions are brought to display and to sell in those fairs.

Some functions are arranged locally in some regions of our country. The most remarkable function among them is the Bali Khela or Wrestling held in Chittagong region. Another mentionable function of the northern region of our country is the Gambhira. The celebration tradition and observance of the festival “Bengali New Year”remind us about our glorious past and tradition and inspires us with new enthusiasm to look back to the past.

Question: Write a short composition about the “Religious Festivals in Bangladesh.”

Answer: In Bangladesh, we have many religious festivals to observe for strengthening our social relation, deepening our religious beliefs and upholding our cultural tradition. There is a great appeal for all the festivals not only in our personal life but also is our individual life. Festivals are common to all societies and cultures. With the change of social and economic setup, the nature of festivals also changes. But some festivals are so deeply rooted in the social organism that they continue to entertain from generation to generation.

The two main religious festivals of the Muslims of Bangladesh are Eid-al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Eid-al-Fitr is observed after the end of Ramadan. After a month-long fasting, people become very glad when they see the new moon of Eid-al-Fitr in the evening sky. Next morning the pious Muslims put on new clothes and go to Eidgah to say the Eid prayer. Sweets, biryani, and other delicious foods are prepared in houses. Relatives are invited on the occasion and good foods, new clothes. Zakat and Fitra are distributed to the poor. The Eid returns every year and so is the case with Eid al-Adha. On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, four-footed domestic animals are sacrificed. The meat and flesh of the sacrificed animals are distributed to the poor. The biggest religious festival of the Hindu community is Durga Puja. The Hindus participate in it with great enthusiasm. Durga Puja is an old festival. It is a folk form of the past which has turned now into an autumnal festival. It is also known as the untimely awakening of goddess Durga as Ramchandra invoked her because in the past Durga Puja was performed in the spring and that was the propitious time for offering Puja to the goddess.

In our country, the Christians and the Buddhists also observe different religious festivals of their own. The Christmas festival is the main religious festival of the Christians. The festival is the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. It lasts for a single day. On the day special prayers are offered in the churches. Feasts are arranged in houses and gifts are distributed among friends and relatives.

The main festival of the Buddhists is Buddha Purnima or Baisakhi Purnima. The birth of Buddha, his adoption of asceticism, his attainment of ‘nirvana’–all these occurred on the full-moon lunar day. It is the most important and solemn festival of the Buddhists. It is being celebrated in Bangladesh with great splendor for more than one thousand years. In Bangladesh people of different communities live in peace and harmony and they have different religious festivals throughout the year.

Introduction: Eid is the most festive day for the Muslims and It is the Most Important Festival in Our Country. It is observed with great interest. It has a great importance for the Muslims, in facts, for the people of Bangladesh.

Meaning and teaching: the main aim of the day is to bring mankind under an umbrella with a festive mood. It teaches us that all are equal to Allah. It teaches us that we should love one another. We learn that Allah is omnipotent and we should bow down our head on him and we should love his creature.

Prohibitions: The day prohibits any type of misdeed. On this day the Muslims promise not to commit any sin anew. The day also shows the greatness and power of Allah.

A day of joy: it is the most festive day of the Muslims. We feel spiritually happy. All wear new dresses. The Muslims. We feel spiritually happy. All wear new dresses. The Muslims use ‘attar’ and ‘surma’ on their dresses. The children feel very happy on that day. Everybody passes the day with a smiling face.

Greetings: On this day the Muslimas exchange greetings. We embrace one another. We shake hands. We invite one another. The rich go to the houses of the poor and give them some gifts.

Conclusion: In conclusion, we a say that the day has a great religious value. We should follow the teachings from Eid.

Question:

• When does baishakhi mela held?
• What do the people do in this day?
• Which things do the people do in this day?
• Where is the main center of baishakhi mela?
• What is the plan of the people for baishakhi mela?
• How does baishakhi mela celebrate?

Answer: Baaishakhi mela is held on the first day of the Bangla New Year. It is a part and parcel of Bengali culture. In this day the cities and villages of Bangladesh wear a new dress. People are looking forward to welcoming the year through this celebration. A Baishakhi mela is an annual gathering. It is a great attraction for the village people. Many fairs are held in Boishakh month. Some are held for one day and some are for many days. In boishakhi mela there are many cultural programmes like the ceremony of folksong, bhatiali and murshidi are held. This festival encompasses exhibition music, poetry, crafts, photography, there in the urban area. The Ramna batamul is the main center, around which new year celebrations have been spread around the Dhaka city. Circus parties are found in Baishakhi mela. There are many things sold and bought here. The children buy many toys balloons, sweets and other attractive things in this day. People of the villages are greatly impressed by Jatra parties. Panta-bhat is sold and served by the young women. Really in this day, the whole Bangle is happy and they make the plan for the whole year.

Similar to:

The First Day of Bangla New Year

Bangladesh is a land of different cultures. A lot of festivals are held in this country around the year. Among these festivals, ‘Pahela Baishakh’ is the most prominent common festival. It is celebrated on the first day of Bengali New Year. It is a unique and distinctive festival to the people of all classes and all religions in Bangladesh. Pahela Baishakh has been being observed in our country for about 450 years as traditional culture. The third Mughal emperor, Akbar was the first to introduce this custom in our country. Then, on that day, the tenants were invited to the house of the landlord and they used to pay their rents there. Today also this day is being observed with great enthusiasm. The day is celebrated with traditional festivities across the country. It is a public holiday. Traders and shopkeepers open fresh account books (Hal Khata) and offer sweets to their customers and clients. The day’s first programme begins at dawn at Ramna Batamul. Chhayanat, a leading cultural organization organizes the programme. People wearing traditional dresses attend it. Besides, media and many socio-cultural organizations draw up different programmes. On this occasion, various types of fairs and exhibitions are held throughout the country – both in villages and towns.  On this very day of Pahela Baishakh, we try to forget the sorrowful events, exhaustion, distress, and despondency of the previous year and welcome the New Year together in a zealous mood dreaming of a better future. We all stand on a common ground beyond any political belief. In fact, Pahela Baishakh brings in along with it – hopes and aspirations to our national life.

Paragraph on Pahela Baishak

Pahela Baishak is the first day of Bangla year. We celebrate the day with traditional festivities across the country. Many socio-cultural organizations draw up many programmes to celebrate the day. The day is celebrated with more pleasure and enjoyment in our deeply. Many cultural organizations start their programmes from Ramna Batamul. Chhayanat, Aurannak, Udichi and other organizations celebrate the day by singing songs and arranging drama, dancing etc. Bangla Academy, Shishu Academy, Shilpakala Academy, bulbul Lalita-Kala academy. Fine arts Institute of Dhaka University, National Museum, and other institutions arrange many BTV displays special programmes across the day. Most of the city dwellers wear a special dress to celebrate the day. In some places especially the rural bazar area, many traders, and shopkeepers open Halkhata and offer sweet to their customers. we think the day as his source of enjoyment and the starting day of the year with peace and happiness.