Ethnic people of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) waiting for a colourful Chaitra Sankranti and Naboborsho. Photo: Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs

DHAKA, April 11, 2025 (BSS)- People of different ethnic groups of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is waiting for a colourful Chaitra Sankranti and Naboborsho.

Three-day programmes on the occasion will begin in the Capital and CHT begins tomorrow as all preparations are completed.

It is said that the roots of Baishabi are deeply connected with the Buddhist culture of Southeast Asia.

Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia celebrate the New Year at the same time - which is known as 'Songkran', said a PID feature.

It is believed that when the Marma people from Arakan and Burma (present-day Myanmar) came to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) hundred years ago, they brought their Sangrai festival with them. Similarly, the Chakma and Tripura people's own culture and festivals gradually merged and were named 'Baisabi'. 

Chakma, Marma and Tripura belong to the larger Mongoloid people. The New Year begins in the month of Baishakh from Tibet to Bangladesh. All the people of the hill areas celebrate their new year during this time.

The name Baisabi is made up of the festivals of the three ethnic groups. Their three festivals- Bijhu of Chakmas,  Shangrai of Marmas and Baisu of Tripuras- altogether is called Baisu.

However, Baisu alone does not express the multidimensionality of the New Year and Chaitra Sankranti celebrations of all the communities in the hills. It has different names like- 'Bihu, Biju, Bishu, Baisu, Changkran, Sankran, Sangrain, Sangraining'. 

It is believed that if the names of other festivals were used in the celebration of Chaitra Sankranti festival in addition to the 'Baisu' festival, the discrimination would have been greatly reduced. 

Although the style of celebration is somewhat different among each ethnic group, the main spirit of the festival is joy, love and auspicious beginning of the New Year. 

The Chakmas celebrate Biju for three days. The traditions and culture of the hill people are translated through this festival.

Chaitra Sankranti is a pleasurous event in the hills to welcome the New Year and bid farewell to the old year. Various arrangements are taken to make the day auspicious and festive. 

The towns of the hilly region and the hilly people living in the capital flock together with flowers and leaves. 

Like every year, people of CHT are going participate in this year’s festival to be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in the capital.

The hilly people will once again get excited by floating flowers in the Ramna Park lake from the CHT Complex on Bailey Road. It is expected that the comrades of the anti-discrimination movement that witnessed the change in Bangladesh will also enjoy this festival this time. The enchanting colors of Baisabi resonate in the hearts of hill people of all ages every year on the occasion of Chaitra Sankranti. This major social festival of the hill people will start from April 12. The culture and tradition of all communities will come together around the festival. 

The colors of Baisabi festival will also glow in every corner of the CHT. The hills will be decorated colourfully and vibrate with joy, music and dance. 

The hill town of Bandarban has dressed up in a new way around Baisabi which is officially starting in the district with the traditional Ghila game of the Tanchangya community. 

The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs has taken an initiative to bring out Baisabi procession in the capital on April 12.

Men, women and young people from 11 small ethnic groups speaking in 10 tribal languages will join the Baisabi festival attiring with their colorful costumes.

New Year and the New Year's Eve festival will be celebrated for three days- on the last two days of the outgoing year and the first day of the New Year.

Biju is one of the main festivals of the Chakma community. This festival is celebrated on the last two days of the Bengali year and on the day of the New Year. 

Phulbijhu is celebrated on April 12. On this day, before dawn, children go out to collect flowers. Buddha is worshiped with one part of the collected flowers and the other part is floated in water. The remaining flowers are used to decorate houses. 

The last day of the month of Chaitra, i.e. April 13, is celebrated as Mool Biju. On this day, the Buddha statue is bathed and worshipped in the morning. Children bathe their elderly grandparents and take blessings. On this day, many delicious dishes including pulao, payas, pachan (a type of stew made from a mixture of various vegetables) are cooked in every household. On April 14, the first day of the Bengali New Year, Gojye Pojye Din (time to rest or take a break) is celebrated. 

People of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban hill districts celebrate this day with a different joy. On the day of Phuli Biju they lit up lamps under a big tree and pay respect to it. It is forbidden to kill any living creature during the Biju festival.

Tripura community celebrate Baisoo for three days- last two days of the month of Chaitra and first day of the Baishakh. The first day of the festival is called Hari Baisoo, the second day is Baisuma and the third or last day is called Bisoo Kotal. Prayers are offered to the Lord for the happiness and prosperity of the coming day on this day. 

On Hari Baisoo, the rush of picking flowers from flowering trees falls in the early morning. Houses are decorated with those flowers and flowers are used to pay homage to temples and holy places. 

The popular food of Baisavi festival, 'Ganatmak or Pachan', is cooked in almost every house belong to Tripura community. Various types of delicious sweetmeats like pitha, semai, muri-murki, chanachur, various types of fruits and cold drinks are included in the dish of foodies of the day. Panjan is a special vegetable which is cooked with a mixture of 25 to 30 types of vegetable on the occasion. 

Water sprinkling is a popular event for Tripura and Marma people during Baisavi festival. Everyone throws water to each other to wash out all sorrows and sins of the past year. Before this, water worship is performed to strengthen bond among each other. 

People of the Marma community express their love to dear ones in front of everybody by sprinkling water. Such a colorful excitement and colorful feeling of love 'Gandharva' is only seen in the Vaisavi festival.

Tanchangya community of Bandarban celebrates their traditional Vishu festival for three days. On the first day they worship Ganga Devi with devotion and respect on banana leaves in the Sangu River. The Vishu festival of the Tanchangya community begins with the game of Ghila during the Vishu festival. Then they complete their traditional Panjan meal prepared with 20 to 30 vegetables. 

The Marma community of Bandarban has chalked out a four-day Sangrai festival this year. the events include water games, pitha making, Balikhela, and cultural programs. 

The main attraction of the Sangrai festival is Maitri Panibarshan Jalkeli Festival. Marma youth will indulge in Jalkeli or water splashing games. In addition, cultural programs will be held throughout the day. The lighting of the Mangal Pradeep will be held in Buddhist monasteries. They will pray for the well-being of the country and the nation by lighting up thousands of lamps.

The national festival of Assam is Bihu. Bihu is celebrated by everyone in the society. It is mainly an agricultural-based festival. The word Bi means prayer and the word Shu means peace and prosperity. The word Bihu is derived from the word Bishu. 

The Assamese people in the CHT will celebrate the Bihu festival on Chaitra Sankranti. In Bandarban, which is known for its home to 11 small ethnic communities, the Mro community has gained special fame by celebrating the Changkran festival on Chaitra Sankranti. Every year, on the occasion of the New Year, the Mro community's Pitha festival, traditional sports, playing of bamboo flutes and musical instrument are among th attractions of the festival. 

The people of the Mro community will organize the traditional Changkran festival during this year's 'Baisabi'. Water games, climbing on oiled bamboo, creative power competitions with sticks and cultural programs are important features of the celebration.

The culture, tradition, and identity of the hilly people will be revealed through these festivals of Chaitra Sankranti. The traditional sports of the CHT, Pitha festival, Jalkeli festival, colourful dresses, folk dance performances, singing, playing of musical instruments and excitement of eating Panjan will make this year’s Chaitra Sankranti most colourful in the hills.