Bengali Festival Essay | Banglar Utsav

"A festival is a gathering, 
a give and take, a game of life."

Introduction:It is said that Bengalis have thirteen festivals in twelve months. Bengalis have always loved festivals. That is why Bengalis participate in various festivals whenever they get the opportunity. The joy of Bengalis, the life of Bengalis, lies within the festivals. That is why even though the Bengalis have been hit by disasters repeatedly, the joy of Bengalis has never waned. The festivals of Bengal become incredibly beautiful due to the sweetness of Bengali nature and the expansive life of Bengalis.

Types of festivals:The festivals of Bengal and Bengalis cannot be divided into specific categories. However, for the convenience of discussion, they can be divided into four categories: 1) Family and Social Festivals, 2) Religious Festivals, 3) Seasonal Festivals, and 4) National Festivals.

Family and social festivals:Among the festivals of Bengal, there are some festivals that are family and community-centric. In such festivals, the joy of a family member is shared with other family members. Birthdays, weddings, wedding anniversaries, sadhabhakshan, annaprashan, bhaiphonta, jamaishasthi, all these events become a gathering event for relatives, friends and neighbors. Through all these family events, not only do mutual differences between family members disappear, but they also provide an opportunity to meet distant relatives and friends. One of the social festivals is the Bengali New Year and the Baisakhi Mela. The new year’s calculation is started through the ‘Halkhata’ ceremony on the first day of Baishakh. Rakhi Bandhan is also another social festival.

Religious festivals:People of various religious communities live in Bengal. People of all religious communities celebrate their respective festivals at different times of the year. The main religious festival of Hindu Bengalis is Durga Puja. Bengalis worship Mahishasur Mardini by offering their ancestors on Mahalaya. The bright lights day and night, the smell of Sheuli flowers, the sound of drums, new clothes and the arrival of Dasabhuja give the Bengali nation a new life. Before the pain of victory is forgotten, the worship of Lakshmi Devi comes. After this, Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja, Vishwakarma Puja, Manasa Puja, Basanti Puja, Ratanti Puja, Annapurna Puja, Mangala Chandi, Bipattarini Puja, etc. Festivals of the Muslim community such as Muharram, Eid, Sabebarat etc. are also inextricably linked with Bengali life. Bengali Christians also celebrate festivals such as Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter Saturday.

Seasonal Festivals:The six seasons of Bengal are diverse. The people of Bengal experience this diversity even more through the festivals held in different seasons. The Baisakhi Mela in Baishakh, Maghi Purnima, Barsha Mangal, Rath Yatra, Kartike Nabanna, Shuvo Janmashtami, Shravan Bhadra’s Jhulan, Paush Parvan, Phalgun Chaitra’s Dola Yatra, Chaitanya Janmotsab, Ras Yatra, etc. are still celebrated with great importance in Bengal.

National Festival:Not only religious, social-family or seasonal festivals, another type of festival is celebrated in the social life of Bengal, which we can call national festivals. On the occasion of Netaji’s birthday on January 23, Republic Day on January 26, Independence Day on August 15, Teachers’ Day on September 5, Rabindra Jayanti on Baishakh 25, Jyishtha Nazrul Jayanti on 11th, etc., programs are held at different places every year and the way Bengalis enjoy themselves on those programs actually takes on the appearance of a festival.

Conclusion:Bengalis are undoubtedly a festival-loving nation. That is why there are thirteen festivals in the life of Bengalis in twelve months. These festivals of Bengal express the warmth and love of the heart. In these festivals, Bengalis come out of their narrow boundaries and forget the differences of caste, religion, caste and community and meet each other. Although today, for various reasons, Bengalis have forgotten the greatness of their festivals to some extent and are giving more importance to the external aspect, it can still be said that these festivals contain the assurance of Bengalis’ survival, the identity of Bengalis’ soul.