Three-Day Boisabi Festival Begins

Biju Festival, ahead of the traditional New Year festival of different minority communities living in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, known as 'Boisabi', began on Tuesday morning.

The Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs organized a program in the city.

Marking the festival, a procession was brought out from the city’s Bailey Road around 9.30 am and ended through floating flowers on a pond at Ramana Park.

Secretary of the Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Mosammad Hamida Begum was present there.

People from Rangamati, Bandarban and khagrachhari districts living in Dhaka participated in the program.

The word 'Boisabi' is a combination of the Bengali acronyms for various festivals like Boishuk of the Tripura community, Sangrai of the Marma community and Biju of the Chakma community.

On April 12, the first day of the festival, known as 'Phul Biju', is celebrated by Chakma, Tripura, Marma communities by decorating their houses with flowers and also immersing them in rivers seeking blessings from the Mother Ganga.

On April 13, the second day of the festival known as 'Mul Biju ', 'Boishu' or 'Bishu', the main attraction is an indigenous delicacy named 'Pachon' that is cooked in every household.

A number of local organizations in hill districts have started holding and scheduled cultural programs, cooking competitions and photo exhibitions as part of the celebrations.