LALMONIRHAT, Nov 18 (UNB): Once a vibrant fixture of rural Bengali culture, the traditional 'Nabanna Utsab', the festival celebrating the first harvest, is quietly fading from many villages across Lalmonirhat, according to local residents.
With the end of the Bangla month of Hemanta and the touch of approaching winter, farmers across the district are busy harvesting Aman paddy.
Golden fields still stretch across the horizon, carrying the familiar scent of new grain, yet the festive celebration that once marked this season is rarely seen nowadays.
Villagers said that although the joy of harvesting remains, the communal spirit of sharing the first cooked rice from the new crop-a hallmark of the 'Nabanna Utsab' -has largely diminished.
"We heard from our parents how festive the day used to be. People would go to each other's houses to eat the first rice. But now we hardly see such practices,"said Saiful Islam, an SSC student from Shialkhowa village in Kaliganj upazila. Recalling the joy and celebrations of the past, 70-year-old farmer from Aditmari upazila, Shafique Mia said they were poorer 30 years ago, but the joy of the new harvest was greater. Farmer Jomir Ali, drying paddy in the field, shared a similar memory.
Lalmonirhat's 'Nabanna' spirit slips into memory
FE Team | Published: November 18, 2025 21:52:34
Lalmonirhat's 'Nabanna' spirit slips into memory
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