'Nobanno', the harvesting festival of the Bangladeshis, is being observed today (Saturday), on the first day of Agrahayan, eighth month of the Bangla calendar.
The majority Bangali people along with those of other ethnic communities across the country are celebrating the day with a festive mood.
Bangladeshi agrarian communities have been observing the day from time immemorial. Aman crop was once the major crop of the land, so the festival takes place in the Aman cropping season.
It is a festival of foods, when various local cuisines, like - pitha, paesh, are cooked in almost all the households and offered to neighbours. But there are diversities in observing the day among different ethnicities.
Biodiversity and culture expert Pavel Partho told the FE that a special food, namely 'nobanno' is served on the day. The sweetmeat is made of new Aman rice powder, coconut milk, ghee, cow milk and gur. People in the southern coastal districts still serve the food on the day.
He also pointed out that although Aman is now the country's second contributing crop (36 per cent), but mass people still have a liking for the 'nobanno' festival.
Agriculture scientist Dr M A Sobhan said now farmers cannot manage essentials to observe the day in the way their forefathers did in the past due to extension of the Aman harvesting period.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), only 20 per cent of farmers in the country have harvested or started harvesting their Aman crop so far, as most of them cultivate indigenous varieties.
Many of the farmers said they observe the day with rice bought from market.
Director of Subaltern Communication Research Centre (SCRC) Md Faisal Rahman said Bangladeshi 'nobanno' has a similarity with Chinese harvesting festival 'chung ch'ui', which is observed in the eighth month of the Chinese calendar.
Festivals like 'nobanno' were observed not only in Asia but also in the ancient civilisations like Egyptian, Persian, Arabian, Greek, Roman and Palestinian, he added.
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