The three-day-long Joom Cultural Festival, organized by the Joom Aesthetic Council (JAK), has begun.
Chittagong's popular singer, Ranjit Dewan, inaugurated the festival at the Ethnic Group Cultural Institute on Sunday.
Mamunr Rashid, one of the nation's prominent actors, attended as chief guest, and the inauguration event was hosted by JAK's president Shishir Chakma.
The festival includes their traditional sport and cultural programs, theatrical plays, and pre-production of an album containing songs of the indigenous groups. Moreover, ten music videos are being produced for modern Chakma romantic songs.
From April 9, the program Changkran 2019 starts. It is organized by the: Rangamati Bijhu, Sangraing, Boishuk, Bishu, and Bihu communities, combined; it eventually continues until Boishabi.
Every year, the indigenous population organizes Boishabi to celebrate the passing of the last Bangali month of Chaitra, and the emergence of the New Year. It is the major cultural festival for all the fourteen tribes—who communicate in eleven different languages—of the Chittagong hill district.
The festival is celebrated on the last two days of Chaitra and first day of Baishakh. Tripura people celebrate it as Boishuk, Marmara people celebrate it as Sangraing, and Chakma people celebrate it as Bijhu. The first few letters of these three words combine to Boishabi.
