Culture of Bangladesh
The culture of Bangladesh
Festivals and celebrations
Festivals and celebrations are integral part of the culture of Bangladesh
Eid ul-Fitr
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 Bangladesh
On Eid day, Eid prayers are held all over the country, in open areas like fields or else inside mosques. In Dhaka , the largest Eid prayer is held at the national Eidgah. 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.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 the rural areas Eid festival is observed with great fanfare. In some areas Eid fares are arranged. Different types of games including boat race, kabbadi, other traditional Bangladeshi games as well as modern games like football and cricket are played on this occasion.
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 ul-Adha
The celebration of Eid ul-Adha is similar to Eid ul-Fitr in many ways. The only big difference is the Qurbani or sacrifice of domestic animals on Eid ul-Adha. Numerous temporary marketplaces of different sizes called Haat operate in the big cities for sale of Qurbani animals (usually cows and goats).
In the morning on the Eid day, immediately after the prayer, affluent people slaughter their animal of choice. Less affluent people also take part in the festivity by visiting houses of the affluent who are taking part in qurbani. After the qurbani a large portion of the meat is given to the poor people.
Although the religious doctrine allows the sacrifice anytime over a period of three days starting from the Eid day, most people prefer to perform the ritual on the first day of Eid. However, the public holiday spans over three to four days. Many people from the big cities go to their ancestral houses/homes in the villages to share the joy of the festival with friends and relatives.
Pohela Boishakh
Pôhela Boishakh is the first day of the Bangla Calendar. It is usually celebrated on the 14th of April. Pohela Boishakh marks the start day of the crop season. Usually on Pôhela Boishakh, 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.
The most colourful New Year's Day festival takes place in Dhaka . Large numbers of people gather early in the morning under the banyan tree at Ramna Park Institute of Fine Arts , University of Dhaka
Language Movement Day
Language Movement Day is a unique part of the culture of Bangladesh East Pakistan in 1952. The mood of the day is sad and humble.
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 Bangladesh
To commemorate this movement, Shaheed Minar, a solemn and symbolic sculpture, was erected in the place of the massacre. Today the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka . 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
Weddings
A traditional wedding is arranged by Ghotoks (matchmakers), who are typically friends or relatives of the couple. The matchmakers facilitate the introduction, and also help agree the amount of any settlement. Bengali weddings are traditionally in five parts: first it is the bride and groom's Mehendi Shondha,the bride's Gaye Holud, the groom's Gaye Holud, the Beeya and the Bou Bhaat. These often take place on separate days. The first event in a wedding is an informal one: the groom presents the bride with a ring marking the "engagement" which is gaining popularity.
For the mehendi shondha the bride's side apply henna to each other as well as the bride For the bride's Gaye Holud, the groom's family - except the groom himself - go in procession to the bride's home. Bride's friends and family apply turmeric paste to her body as a part of Gaye Hoof bride, and they are traditionally all in matching clothes, mostly orange in colour. The bride is seated on a dais, and the henna is used to decorate the bride's hands and feet with elaborate abstract designs. The sweets are then fed to the bride by all involved, piece by piece. The actual wedding ceremony "Biye" follows the Gaye Holud ceremonies. The wedding ceremony is arranged by the bride's family. On the day, the younger members of the bride's family barricade the entrance to the venue, and demand a sort of admission charge from the groom in return for allowing him to enter. The bride and groom are seated separately, and a Kaji (authorized person by the govt. to perform the wedding), accompanied by the parents and a Wakil (witness) from each side formally asks the bride for her consent to the union, and then the groom for his. The bride's side of the family tries to play some kind of practical joke on the groom such as stealing the groom's shoe.
The reception, also known as Bou-Bhat (reception), is a party given by the groom's family in return for the wedding party. It is typically a much more relaxed affair, with only the second-best wedding outfit being worn.
Food of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cooking is a culinary art-form. A taste tantalizing blend of wonderful and fragrant spices that will keep you coming back for more. Many non-Bangladeshis have probably eaten Bangladeshi food without knowing them. For example, over 80 percent of the "Indian" restaurants in the U.K. serve Bangladeshi food. If you loved it, it was probably Bangladeshi.
Bengali cooking is also known for it's wide array of sweets made from milk. Rasho-gollah, kalo-jam, shandesh, mishti doi, shemai, chamcham ... the names go on and on.
The United Kingdom has a particularly strong tradition of what the general population would term Indian cuisine which is in fact a misnomer as the restaurants in question are mainly created by people of Bangladeshi origin. In the second half of the 20th century there was a spurt in the development of so-called Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh (particularly from the Sylhet Division) migrated to London to look for work. Some of the earliest such restaurants were opened in Brick Lane in the East End of London, a place that is still famous for this type of cuisine and now popularly known as Bangla Town, with even the street signs bilingual.
Bangladeshi food is now a staple of the British national cuisine. Until the early 1970s more than three quarters of Indian restaurants in Britain were identified as being owned and run by people of Bengali origin. Most were run by migrants from Bangladesh. Bangladeshi restaurateurs overwhelmingly come from the northern district of Sylhet. Until 1998, as many as 85% of curry restaurants in the UK were Bangladeshi restaurants but in 2003 this figure declined to just over 65%. Currently the dominance of Bangladeshi restaurants is generally declining in some parts of London and the further north one travels.
Food of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi cooking is a culinary art-form. A taste tantalizing blend of wonderful and fragrant spices that will keep you coming back for more. Many non-Bangladeshis have probably eaten Bangladeshi food without knowing them. For example, over 80 percent of the "Indian" restaurants in the U.K. serve Bangladeshi food. If you loved it, it was probably Bangladeshi.
Bengali cooking is also known for it's wide array of sweets made from milk. Rasho-gollah, kalo-jam, shandesh, mishti doi, shemai, chamcham ... the names go on and on.
The United Kingdom has a particularly strong tradition of what the general population would term Indian cuisine which is in fact a misnomer as the restaurants in question are mainly created by people of Bangladeshi origin. In the second half of the 20th century there was a spurt in the development of so-called Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh (particularly from the Sylhet Division) migrated to London to look for work. Some of the earliest such restaurants were opened in Brick Lane in the East End of London, a place that is still famous for this type of cuisine and now popularly known as Bangla Town, with even the street signs bilingual.
Bangladeshi food is now a staple of the British national cuisine. Until the early 1970s more than three quarters of Indian restaurants in Britain were identified as being owned and run by people of Bengali origin. Most were run by migrants from Bangladesh. Bangladeshi restaurateurs overwhelmingly come from the northern district of Sylhet. Until 1998, as many as 85% of curry restaurants in the UK were Bangladeshi restaurants but in 2003 this figure declined to just over 65%. Currently the dominance of Bangladeshi restaurants is generally declining in some parts of London and the further north one travels.
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| Hilsa Cooked with Mustard Seeds |
Meanwhile in the United States, the majority of "Indian" restaurants in New York are run by Bangladeshi Americans. It has been estimated that as many as 95% of them may be run by Bangladeshis.
The staples of Bangladeshi cuisine are rice, atta (a special type of whole wheat flour), and at least five dozen varieties of pulses, the most important of which are chana (bengal gram), tur (pigeon pea or red gram), urod (black gram), and mung (green gram). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of dal, except chana, which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour (beshon). However, unlike neighbouring Indian food that includes types of rice and bread, the main source of carbohydrates in a "regular" Bangladeshi meal is plain white rice. Different kinds of fried rice, in the forms of pulao and biriyani are eaten mainly on special occasions and at parties.
Bangladeshi food varies between very 'sweet' and mild-to extremely spicy, many tourists even from other South East Asian and Subcontinental countries find the food spicy. It resembles North East Indian and South East Asian food more closely than that of any other part of the Subcontinent, most probably due to geographic and cultural proximity. The most important flavours in Bangladeshi cuisine are garlic, ginger, lime, coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli. In sweet dishes, cardamom and cinnamon are amongst the natural flavours.
Sweets and desserts
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| Chamcam |
Bangladeshi cuisine has a rich tradition of sweets. The most common sweets and desserts include -
- Chômchôm Tangail's Porabarir chomchom is famous
- Kalo jam
- Golap Jam
- Rosho-golla
- A wide variety of Pitha - steamed rice cakes or Vapa Pitha, Chitoi Pitha, Pan Pitha.
- Firni also known as Payesh
- Khir
Halua- there are different types of halua (semolina - shuji, carrot - gajor, almond - badam, boot etc..)
- Jilapi
- Doi - sweetened homemade creamy yoghurt
- Shemai - sweet vermicelli
- Shondesh - in Bangladesh, this is a palm sugar and rice flour fritter unlike the Shondesh of West Bengal
- Chhana - also known as kaacha shondesh, is an unrefined form of shondesh
- Jorda - sweetened rice or vermicili, fried in ghee (clarified butter)
- Shon-papri- Sweet Gram Flour Noodles, very fine delicate with a melt in mouth texture.
- Rosh-malai - small roshogollas in a sweetened milk base; Comilla is famous for it's Roshmalai.
- Khaja & Goja - fried sweets
- Borfi - there are different kinds of them
- Murob-ba - traditionally made Bengali succade with various fruits such as Lime, Citron, Papaya, Mango, Pineapple, Soursop, Watermelon and also Ginger.
