Bangla New Year Celebration
One of the longest festivals in India is New Year. In India, New Year is celebrated with much excitement and joy. Celebrations include food, music and clothing. It is customary to give gifts to family members and friends during the festival. People also celebrate by staying at home and socializing with family and friends. Celebrations are more memorable when accompanied by delicious food and beverages. In addition, the sounds of various instruments are heard during the festival. Dholak is one such instrument that sounds during celebrations. Since Bangladesh shares a border with India, their people celebrate the New Year similarly to Indians. However, there are some differences in the way they celebrate new year.
Bangladesh celebrates new year on 1st Jan 2017 two days after India’s New Year. To celebrate, people wear new clothes, eat special foods and play music. They also decorate their houses for the festival with lights, flowers and garlands. People from all socio-economic backgrounds participate in these celebrations. The festivities start four to five days before the new year so that all preparations are finished in time. The festival is a joyous occasion for everyone as long as poverty does not discourage them from celebrating properly.
Dholak is the traditional musical Instrument used to announce the new year in Bangladesh. It has a long Handle like an Axe and a wood block attached to its end. As people play dholak, they make musical sounds with different variations of tone and pitch. The variations in pitch create interesting effects that captivate listeners’ attention. They also use various types of hand movements while playing dholak to complement the musical sounds they create on the instrument’s handle. These actions — along with proper training — allow players to produce an impressive amount of musical notes with their dholak playing.
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To determine which number represents the new year for Bangladeshi people, people use different methods. One method uses celestial bodies such as the moon or sun. Others use numbers such as 4 or 6 which represent death and destruction, respectively, in many cultures around the world. Other people use ancient traditions such as astrology or using Sanskrit letters to represent different animals such as cows or goats. Some even use numerology or computer algorithms to determine lucky numbers for their country-specific festivals such as New Year’s Eve in Bangladesh.
New Year celebrations are a joyful celebration for everyone no matter what method they use to determine the new year number for Bangladeshians. People from all socio-economic backgrounds join together to celebrate this event- which creates beautiful memories for everyone involved. Dholak is an excellent induction instrument that announces important dates in Bangladesh’s history similar to how cymbals announced important dates in ancient Indian culture. Though they do have their own traditions, celebrating holidays such as New Year brings both countries closer together regardless of their culture differences.
