The ethnic people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have started to prepare for their biggest traditional festival “Boisabi Utsab,” marking the beginning of the Bangla New Year.
Dhaka TribuneThe festival is about bidding farewell to the past year and welcoming the new, with a variety of colourful programs.
Dhaka TribuneThe festival has different names among the tribes. The Chakma people call it “Biju”, Tanchangya call it “Bishu”, Tripura call it “Boishuk”, and Marma call it “Sangrai”.
Dhaka TribuneThe word “Boisabi” is a combination of the Bangla acronyms for various festivals of ethnic groups marking the new year, like “Boishuk” of the Tripura community, “Sangrai” of the Marma community, and “Biju” of the Chakma community.
Dhaka TribuneA number of local organizations in Rangamati have started holding and scheduled cultural programs, cooking competitions and photo exhibitions as part of the celebrations.
Dhaka Tribune
Dhaka TribuneThe second day is the main festival where people dress up, cook delicacies including traditional dish “Pachon”, and take part in various traditional events.
Dhaka TribuneThe tribes will welcome the New Year the next day through various colourful programs.
Dhaka TribuneThe people on April 16 will then follow Marma people’s lead in celebrating the Sangrai water festival by splashing water on each other, which symbolizes washing away the sins and vices of the previous year, bringing the curtains down on the festival.