Post on 05-Apr-2018
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1 Culture of Bangladesh
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At the very first moment, we would like to thank Almighty Allah to give us he spirits to
accomplish this assignment successfully. Then we have the honor to offer our deep sense
of gratitude, hearty appreciation and indebtedness to our course instructor Mr. Munirul
Hassan for giving us the opportunity to conduct the assignment topic-Culture of
Bangladesh. This assignment is conducted under his valuable guidance, tireless
cooperation and keen interest at every stage of this assignment.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Serial Contents Page no.
1.0 Introduction 03
2.0 Bangladeshi Cultures 04
3.0 National Signs of Bangladesh 05
5.0 Social Bond 05
6.0 Language And Literature 06
7.0 Food of Bangladesh 07
8.0 Clothing 07
9.0 Agriculture of Bangladesh 08
11.0 Handicrafts of Bangladesh 08-09
12.0 Music 09-10
13.0 Dance 10
14.0 Drama and Jatra 11
15.0 Festivals in Bangladesh 12-14
16.0 Agriculture in Bangladesh 15-16
17.0 Economic Institution of Bangladesh 17
18.0 Political Institution in Bangladesh 18
19.0 Religion In Bangladesh 19-20
20.0 Conclusion 21
21.0 Reference 22
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INTRODUCTION
Culture is a word that introduces us with the state of civilization among people.
Everything that we have learned from our membership of the society that affects our
belief and values is called Culture. Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge,
experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time,
roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions
acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group
striving.
Culture is the part and parcel of a country. It shows us the real image of a country. The
easiest and most dependable way to know a country is to know a country is to know her
culture. Every countrys people have their own culture and so do we.
In our everyday life what we do for fulfill our needs is called culture. As we dance and
listen music for our mental satisfaction, we use language to express us, do work for
earning livelihood. All that components are our culture. The main components of culture
are its norms and values.
Culture is the term that integrates knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and any
other capabilities and habit attained by man as a member of society.
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BANGLADESHI CULTURES
Bangladesh officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It
was liberated from Pakistan at 1971 by a 9 month long sanguinary liberation war. Though
it is a small country of 1, 47,570 sq. kilometer but it has a large population about 150
millions. Almost 90 percent of this population lives in the rural areas and 80 percent of
our population are still depends on agriculture for livelihood. Peasant economy is the
main mode of production in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's deep rooted heritage is amply reflected in her architecture, literature, dance,
drama, music and painting. Bangladeshi culture is influenced by three great religions-
Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam in successive order, with Islam having the most
pervading and lasting impact. Like a colorful montage, the cultural tradition of the
country is a happy blending of many variants, unique in diversity but in essence greatly
symmetrical.
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NATIONAL SIGNS OF BANGLADESH
Anthem: Amar sonar bangla.
Flower: water lily.
Fruit: jackfruit.
Animal: Royal Bengal tiger.
Bird: magpie robin.
Fish: Hilsha.
Game: ha-du-du.
Mosque: Baitul Mukarram Mosque.
Temple: Dhakeshwary mondir.
SOCIAL BOND
The main classification in society is based on money, prestige and land. Those have large
amount of money or land are respected. Beside this some people are respected to be
religious holy people asMoulobi, Brhaman, Father and Bhikku. Relations are emotional,
irrational, formal and not mobile at all.
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LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Another glorious portion of Bangla culture is Bangla language. More than 95 percent of
the people of Bangladesh speak Bengali which is one of the earliest modem languages of
the subcontinent. It originates from the eastern Prakritgroup of the Indo- Aryan family
of languages. Bangladeshi people have to get back it by language movement at 1952
from the Pakistani government. Now throughout the world 21st February has been
celebrated as international mother language day as Bangladeshi people gain it by fighting
at 21st February of 1952.
Since the early decades of this century, modem Bengali literature connected to the
mainstream of world culture through the works of such geniuses asMichael Madhusudan
Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore and the rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam while poetJasimuddin's
serious lyrical story illustrating rural life with its joys and sorrows, romance and patrol
kept alive the link with the sweating lots. With this heritage to draw inspiration from,
modern Bengali literature of Bangladesh has been throbbing with the creative impulses of
a new generation of poets, novelists, playwrights and essayists. Many of their works have
earned fame beyond the frontiers of the country.
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FOOD OF BANGLADESH
Bangladeshi food is parallel to Bengali food. The staple food of the people in Bangladesh
is rice and fish. There are over 40 varieties of fish that are used in the cuisine of
Bangladesh. Some of the commonly used fish are rui, rohu, katla, magur and chingri.
Hilsa is a variety of fish that is also a favorite among the Bangladeshis.
One of the most relished items among the people of Bangladesh is the platter of the panta
ilish. It consists of panta bhat and fried hilsa fish. A side-dish of fried shutki fish is
served. The platter also consists of dal, onions and fresh green chillies.
The people of Bangladesh also enjoy variety of rather delightful sweets that include
roshgulla, sandesh, gulab jamun and a huge variety of milk-based sweets.
CLOTHING
Bangladeshi women habitually wear Sarees. Jamdani was once world famous for it's most
artistic and expensive ornamental fabric. Moslin, a fine and artistic type of cloth was
well-known worldwide. Naksi Kantha, embroidered quilted patchwork cloth produced by
the village women, is still familiar in villages and towns simultaneously. A common
hairstyle is Beni (twisted bun) that Bangalee women are fond of. Traditionally males
wear Panjabis, Fatuas and Pajamas. Hindus wear Dhuty for religious purposes. Now-a-
days common dresses of males are shirts and pants and common dresses of females are
Salwar Kamij.
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ART CULTURE OF BANGLADESH
Bangladesh has a rich tradition of Art. Speciniens of ancient terracota and pottery show
remarkable artistry. Modern painting was pioneered by artists like Zainul Ahedin,
Qamrul Hasan. Anwarul Haque, Shafiuddin Ahnied, Shafiqul Amin, Rashid Chowdhury
and S.M. Sultan. Zainul Ahedin earned worldwide fame by his stunning sketches of the
Bengal Famine in 1943.
HANDICRAFTS OF BANGLADESH
Handicrafts and cottage industries play a vital role in sustaining the cultural heritage of
Bangladesh. The prominent handicrafts in the early and
Middle Ages were textiles, metal works, jewelry, wood
works, cane and bamboo works, and clay and pottery.
Later, jute and leather became the major raw materials for
handicrafts. The most predominant features of Bangladeshi
handicrafts are the extensive use of individual skill and the
interesting design motifs.
Nakshi Kantha (embroidered quilt), a very popular form of handicraft, is said to be
indigenous to Bangladesh. The rural women of the country put together pieces of old
cloth with crafty stitches to prepare these quilts to be used in the winter. Although
kanthas (quilts) are utilitarian objects, the vivid patterns, borders and motifs often turn
them into attractive works of art. In recent years the interest in ethnic arts and crafts has
encouraged a kantha revival in the country. Many people now use these quilts for
decorative purposes only.
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Several, Bangladeshi organizations like Aarong and Probortona export handicrafts from
Bangladesh to all over the world. These organizations have played an important role in
preserving the handicrafts of Bangladesh and increasing their popularity at home and
abroad.
MUSIC
Bangladesh is essentially a land of songs, music and dances. The music of Bangladesh is
emotional, ecstatic and romantic. One can find varieties of songs and music, ancient and
modern, local and western including music instruments. Bangladeshi music tradition can
be distinguished into three categories- Classical, Folk, Modern.
The tradition of classical music, whether vocal or instrumental, is rooted in the ancient
history of this subcontinent. It has been cultivated with great patience and passion by
devoted musicians over the centuries. Internationally known sarod players Ustad
Alauddiri Khan and Ustad Ayet Ali Khan hail from the soil of this country.
Folk music, nurtured through the ages by village bards, is the most popular and timeless
form of music in Bangladesh.
Rich in devotional mysticism
and love ores, folk music exudes
authentic flavor and charm of the
soil. The most well- known
forms are bhatia1i, baul, marfati,
murshidi, bhaoaiya and
gombhira. Some of the greatest
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exponents of our mystic and devotional songs were Lalan Fakir, Hasan Raja and
Abbasuddin Ahmed.
Modern music is also supported by different talented musician by using world class
instrument and technology. Modern Bengali music originated from two distinct schools.
The first is essentially a blend of East and West initiated by Rabindranath Tagore. The
rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam spearheaded the second, and experimented with a synthesis
of classical, folk and Middle Eastern musical strains. The contemporary adherents of both
the schools have been widening their range with new experiments.
There are various native musical instruments which are indispensable for composing
Bangladeshi songs. Among these, the best-known are: Tabla, Behala, Ektara, Dotara,
Banshi, Mandira, Sharinda, Mridongo, Shorod, Setar, Tanpura, Esraj, etc. The
harmonium, though western in origin, has been adopted by musicians throughout the
subcontinent.
DANCE
Dancing in Bangladesh draws freely from the sub continental classical forms as well as
the folk, tribal, ballet and Middle Eastern strains. Of the tribal dances, particularly
popular are Manipuri and Santhal. The Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA), set up in
Dacca in the early fifties, played a pioneering role in the promotion of dances in the
country.
A number of other cultural organizations have helped in popularizing the art. No
cultura1 evening in this country is complete without a dance number. The cinema has
also popularized dancing. With the recent creation of the Academy of Performing Arts in
Dacca dancing in Bangladesh is expected to gain further impetus.
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DRAMA
Drama in Bangladesh has an old tradition and is very popular. In Dhaka more than a
dozen theater groups have been regularly staging locally written plays as well as those
adapted from famous writers, mainly of European origin. Popular theatre groups are
Dhaka Theatre, Nagarik Nattya Sampraday and Group Theatre.
In Dhaka, the Baily Road area is known as 'Natak Para', where drama shows are regularly
held. The Public Library Auditorium and National Museum Auditorium are renowned for
holding cultural shows. The Dhaka University area especially around Shahbagh plays a
pivotal role in the city's cultural life. With the recent creation of the Academy of
Performing Arts in Dhaka this vibrant art form is expected to gain further impetus.
JATRA
Jatra (Folk Drama) is another vital part of the Bengali culture. It depicts mythological
episodes of love as well as historical and social themes. Legendary plays of heroism are
also popular, particularly in the rural areas.
In the past jatra was the biggest form of entertainment for the rural folk, who made up
80% of the country's population. Nowadays, jatra has been relegated to the back seat in
the entertainment world. Gradually, popular western and Bollywood culture are having a
greater impact on traditional cultural forms such as jatra.
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FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATION
Festivals have always played a significant role in the life of the people of Bangladesh.
Those are parts and parcels of Bengali culture and tradition. Brief account of the major
and regular festivals are given below.
Pahela Baishakh
The advent of Bengali New Year is gaily observed throughout the country. The Day
(mid-April) is a public holiday. Most colorful daylong gatherings along with arrangement
of cultural program and traditional Panta at Ramna Park, Dhaka is a special feature of
Pahela Baishakh. Tournaments, boat races etc. are held in cities and villages amidst great
jubilation. Many fairs are held in Dhaka and other towns and villages.
Independence Day
March 26 is the day of Independence of Bangladesh. It is the biggest state festival. This
day is most befittingly observed and the capital wears a festive look. It is a public
holiday. The citizens of Dhaka wake up early in the morning with the booming of guns
heralding the day. Citizens including government leaders and sociopolitical organizations
and freedom fighters place floral wreaths at the National Martyrs Monument at Savar.
Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and other socio-cultural
organizations hold cultural functions. At night the main public buildings are tastefully
illuminated to give the capital city a dazzling look. Similar functions are arranged in
other parts of the country.
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21st Feb, World Mother Language Day
21 February is observed throughout the country to pay respect and homage to the sacred
souls of the martyrs' of Language Movement of 1952.
Blood was shed on this day at the Central Shahid Minar
(near Dhaka Medical College Hospital) area to establish
Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan. All
subsequent movements including struggle for
independence owe their origin to the historic language
movement. The Shahid Minar (martyrs monument) is the symbol of sacrifice for Bangla,
the mother tongue. The day is closed holiday. Mourning procedure begin in Dhaka at
midnight with the song Amar vaier raktay rangano ekushay February (21st February, the
day stained with my brothers' blood). Nationals pay homage to the martyrs by placing
flora wreaths at the Shahid Minar. Very recently the day has been declared World Mother
Language Day by UNESCO.
Eid-Ul -Fit r
The biggest Muslim festival observed throughout the world. This is held on the day
following the Ramadan or the month of fasting. In Dhaka big congregations are held at
the National Eidgah and many mosques.
Eid-Ul -Azha
Second biggest festival of the Muslims. It is held marking the Hajj in Mecca on the 10th
Zilhaj, the lunar month. Eid congregations are held throughout the country. Animals are
sacrificed in reminiscence of Hazrat Ibrahim's (AM) preparedness for the supreme
sacrifice of his beloved son to Allah. It is a public holiday.
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Durga Puja
Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Hindu community continues for ten days, the last
three days being culmination with the idol immersed in rivers. In Dhaka the big
celebrations are held at Dhakeswari Temple, where a fair is also held and at the Ram
Krishna Mission.
X-Mas Day
Christmas, popularly called "Bara Din (Big Day)", is celebrated with pomp in Dhaka and
elsewhere in the country. Several day-long large gatherings are held at St. Mary's
Cathedral at Ramna, Portuguese Church at Tejgaon, Church of Bangladesh (Protestant)
on Johnson Road and Bangladesh Baptist Sangha at Sadarghat Dhaka. Functions include
illumination of churches, decorating Christmas tree and other Christian festivities.
There are various other festivals that are habitually observed by Bengalis all the year
round.
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AGRICULTURE IN BANGLADESH
Bangladesh has a primarily agrarian economy. The agricultural sector provides the
principal livelihood of the
people in the country. It is
the single largest producing
sector of economy since it
comprises about 30% of the
country's GDP and
employing around 60% of
the total labour force. The
performance of this sector
has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives like employment
generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development and food security.
Meeting the nation's food requirements remain the key-objective of the government and
in recent years there has been substantial increase in grain production. However, due to
calamities like flood, loss of food and cash crops is a recurring phenomenon which
disrupts the continuing progress of the entire economy.
In Bangladesh, the majorities of people are landless and work as agricultural laborers.
Now-a-days, 45% agricultural laborers have no work at all those who do get work have
no job security or reliable income. The salary amount of an agricultural laborer is very
low. Most of them are inadequate, illiterate and have no basic human rights.
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Bangladesh is now facing various types of socio-economic and political problems.
Among these, the most difficult, complicated and probably the most important issue is
the agrarian question. . One of the fundamental features of the economic backwardness of
the agrarian question is very relevant for Bangladesh like any other poor country of Asia.
If the agrarian question is addressed properly, the path of national economic development
can be found. Land, no doubt, constitutes the most significant basis of sociopolitical
power and the common factor of production for the overwhelming majority of the people.
Today, land problem is the main problem to agricultural development in Bangladesh.
Ownership of the land, its possession and cultivation, has sociopolitical overtones and
economic implications, both simultaneously and mutually reacting around and
reinforcing each other. Thus, an approach to locate the problems relating to land and their
solution has to be, of necessity, comprehensive, multidimensional and dynamic. As
Bangladesh has already faced these problems and very recently the path and methods of
alternative agriculture, are being talked about. This alternative thinking is often called
"regenerative," "sustainable," "ecological," "organic" or "natural agriculture," which are
more or less based on the following principles:
Make sure as much or more productivity as chemical agriculture; Ensure sustainability; Put less dependence on external inputs; Do not disturb the natural environment.
Now, rural people of our country are doing various types of jobs. Some of these jobs are
related to agriculture. These are: Poultry Business, Dairy business, Rearing Cattle, Goat,
Sheep etc.
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ECONOMIC INSTITUTION OF BANGLADESH
Many industries in Bangladesh are still primitive by modern standards. Despite
continuous domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic
prospects, Bangladesh remains a developing nation.
Jute was once the economic engine of the country. Its share of the world export market
peaked in the Second World War and the late 1940s at 80% and even in the early 1970s
accounted for 70% of its export earnings. However, polypropylene products began to
substitute for jute products worldwide and the jute industry started to decline. Bangladesh
grows very significant quantities of rice(chal), tea (Cha) and mustard. More than three
quarters of Bangladeshs export earnings come from the garment industry, which began
attracting foreign investors in the 1980s due to cheap labour and low conversion cost. In
2002, the industry exported US$5 billion worth of products. The industry now employs
more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women. A large part of foreign currency
earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.
One significant contributor to the development of the economy has been the widespread
propagation of microcredit by Muhammad Yunus (awarded the Nobel peace prize in
2006) through the Grameen Bank. By the late 1990s, Grameen Bank had 2.3 million
members, along with 2.5 million members of other similar organizations.
In order to enhance economic growth, the government set up several export processing
zones to attract foreign investment. These are managed by the Bangladesh Export
Processing Zone Authority.
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POLITICAL INSTITUTION IN BANGLADESH
The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh is a unitary, independent and sovereign republic
comprising three basic organs the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.
The Parliament of Bangladesh is a unicameral legislature consisting of 300 members.
They are directly elected from an equal number of territorial constituencies, which is one
from each constituency, on the basis of adult franchise. Earlier there used to be 30 seats
reserved for women who were elected by the directly elected Members. This provision in
the Constitution for the reservation of seats for women was a transitory one.
Bangladesh is governed by a multi-party parliamentary system of government. The
President is the Head of State and is elected by the members of Parliament. The President
acts in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister and the supreme command of
the Armed Forces rests with him.
The executive power of the republic is exercised by or on the advice of the Prime
Minister who commands the support of the majority members of Parliament and is
appointed by the President. Other ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers are
appointed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister nominates the cabinet members
from among Parliament members and one-tenths of the total members are from outside of
the Parliament. The cabinet is collectively accountable to the Parliament. The
Government is unitary in structure and parliamentary in form.
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RELIGION IN BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. About 83 percent of
Bangladeshis are Muslims. Hinduism constitutes about 12 percent of the population. The
country has small communities of Buddhists, Christians and animists.
Most Bangladeshi Muslims are Sunnis, but there is a small Shia community. Most of
those who are Shia reside in urban areas. Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha, Eiday Miladunnabi,
Muharram etc are the biggest religious festivals for muslims. The contention that Bengali
Muslims are all descended from lower-caste Hindus who were converted to Islam is
incorrect; a substantial proportion are descendants of the Muslims who reached the
subcontinent from elsewhere. There are a lot of mosques and mazar in our country. Baitul
Mukarram Mosque is our national mosque which is situated in Dhaka.
Bangladesh is the third largest Hindu state of the world after India and Nepal.
Bangladeshi Hinduism admits worship of spirits and patron deities of rivers, mountains,
vegetation, animals, stones, or disease. Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja etc. are
some of the Hindu festivals. There are many temples distributed all over the country.
Dhakeshwari Temple is national temple of Bangladesh.
Buddhism is the third largest religion in Bangladesh with about 0.7% of population. Most
of the followers of Buddhism in Bangladesh live in the south-eastern region, especially in
the Chittagong and Comilla district. Budhdha Purnima, Maghi Purnima are their main
festivals.
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Tribal race constitutes less than 1 percent of the total population. They live in the
Chittagong Hills and in the regions of Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Rajshahi. The majorities
of them are lived in rural areas. They have different language, different social
organization, different marriage system. Chakmas, Maghs , Tipras, Murangs, Kukis and
Santals are the main tribes of our country. The tribes tend to intermingle and could be
distinguished from one another more by differences in their dialect, dress, and customs
than by tribal cohesion. Most Chakmas are Buddhists, but some practice Hinduism or
Animism.
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CONCLUSION
The multi dimensional cultural heritage of Bangladesh encompasses within itself the
cultural diversity of different social and religious groups of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has
a composite culture, in which the influences of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism,
Christianity and Islam have been assimilated. It is manifested in various forms, including
music, dance and drama; arts and crafts; folklore and folktales; literature, philosophy,
fairs and festivals as well as in a distinct cuisine and culinary tradition. The indigenous
communities of Bangladesh have their own culture and tradition full of colorful diversity.
The riverine landscape and the monsoon climate are intimately related to the cultural
practices of this country. This site is an endeavor to focus on the country's noteworthy
cultural features including the lifestyles and culture of the indigenous people. This site
has been structured to highlight six major areas of the country's cultural aspects in a
simple manner for convenience of the tourists of both home and abroad while they
prepare their itineraries to explore this country.
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REFERENCE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bangladesh http://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/art-&-culture.shtm http://www.webbangladesh.com/history_culture/history_bdprofile.htm http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/culture/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bangladeshhttp://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/art-&-culture.shtmhttp://www.webbangladesh.com/history_culture/history_bdprofile.htmhttp://www.independent-bangladesh.com/culture/http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/culture/http://www.webbangladesh.com/history_culture/history_bdprofile.htmhttp://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/art-&-culture.shtmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bangladesh