People of the Marma community in seven upazilas of Bandarban hill district are fully prepared to celebrate “Sangrai” to welcome their New Year.
The organizing committee has taken all the steps to celebrate the three-day-long friendly shower festival with huge enthusiasm as there is no restriction for the Covid-19 pandemic this year.
The festival is known as “Bijhu” to the Chakmas, “Sangrai” for the Marmas, and “Boishu” or “Boishuk” for the Tripuras.
The term “Boishabi”, which is the biggest festival of tribal people in Bangladesh, has been formed by combining the “Boi” from “Boishu”, “sha” from “Sangrai” and “bi” from “Bijhu”.
The celebrations will begin with a procession from Razar Math of the town at 8am on April 13. Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwesing MP will be the chief guest of the procession.
On this day, the young boys and girls will join the procession wearing their colourful traditional dresses.
With the beats of the tribal songs about New Year, the procession will move over the main roads of the town and end at the Ethnic Minority Cultural Institute.
A mini marathon will be held on April 14 with the participation of the Buddhists.
The festival will end on April 15 with a photo exhibition followed by an amity shower on the bank of the Sangu River, and sports and religious program (“Dhammadesana” listening).
According to General Secretary of the celebration committee Shetting Marma, during the amity shower, young boys and girls take positions at the specific stage where water is kept in different pots in front of them.
Taking the water-filled pots, the young boys and girls sing their traditional songs and celebrate Sangrai by throwing water at one another. The boys throw water at the girls, and the girls reciprocate by throwing water back at them.
Bandarban District Awami League President Kyashoihlya said, irrespective of the names that different ethnic groups gave to their festival, all of them welcome the New Year with prayers for the well-being of the country and its people.
