Nobanno Utsab

NobannoUtsab is the traditional harvest festival, being celebrated across the country on the first day of Agrahayan of Bangla calendar that usually falls on November 16. The day is essential for the country’s farmers as they started harvesting new crops on the first day of Bengali month. The occasion of bringing new crops home has been celebrated in this region for centuries and has become an integral part of our tradition and culture.

fig: Collected

The Nobanno festival is a cultural festival that is practiced predominantly by rural society. “Nobanno” can be divided into two words; ‘Nob’ which means ‘new’ and ‘onno’ which translates to ‘rice’, so ‘nobanno’ together means ‘new rice’. This is a term that precisely describes the time of cultivation when the farmer fills the granaries with the newly harvested crops making them ready for the winter months. In the month of Agrahayan, the rural households of Bangladesh are filled with the smell of new rice. The festival usually starts at the end of the month when the rural folks invite their relatives and friends to participate in the harvest festival with food, dance, music, and harmony. Another major part of the celebration is making pitha with the new rice from the golden paddy.

Pitha is the quintessential Bengali dish for all celebrations. Mouth-watering rice pudding made of fresh milk and sugar or molasses is another delicious item that is an indispensable part of nobanno.   Village fairs are an essential part of nobanno. The festival usually brings forth different village fairs that arrange a place for folk artists who perform various art forms like singing folk music, dancing, Jatra, etc. The fairs also have food stalls with local items like sondesh, naru, kodom,muri-murki, and many types of rice cakes. There are rides for children like nagordolas and merry-go-rounds. Local artisans also sells hand-crafted utensils and toys made from clay.  

Several programs are also organized in the city including a cultural function at Bakultala of the Fine Arts Faculty at Dhaka University. JatiyaNabannaUtsabUdjapanParishad, the celebration committee of the festival, arrange the cultural function where artists performed folk songs, Lalongeeti, Tagore songs and dance to welcome the first day of Agrahayan. Poets, painters, musicians, bauls, and people from all walks of life gathered on the university campus to celebrate the festival.  

Written by,

Boby Sarker

Information Collected  

Click Here to Visit