List of festivals in Bangladesh
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This is a list of festivals in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a country of colourful celebrations. The people celebrate their faith, life, liberty, nature, elation, and achievements round the year through a wide variety of fairs and festivals, organized with enthusiasm and intricate details. Some Bengali fairs and festivals have a recorded history of over 2000 years. Festivals in Bangladesh fall into four major categories: religious festivals, national events, cultural festivals and tribal festivals. Although a few festivals are primarily meant for particular sections of the population, all the festivals have now attained universal reach throughout the country.
Religious observance[edit]

Eid prayer in Comilla
Muslim[edit]
- Eid ul-Fitr - on the 1st day of Shawwal month of the lunar Islamic calendar.[1]
- Eid ul-Adha - on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah month of the Islamic calendar.[2]
- Chaand Raat - on the 29th or 30th night of Ramadan month of the Islamic calendar.[3]
- Ashura - on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar.[4]
- Eid-e-Meeladun Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad[5]
- Shab-e-Qadr[6]
- Shab-e-Baraat[7]
- Bishwa Ijtema[8]
Hindu[edit]
- Durga Puja - from the 2nd to the 7th day of Kartik month of the Bengali calendar.[9]
- Krishna Janmashtami - celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna[10]
- Dolyatra[11]
- Ratha Yatra, the most popular being Dhamrai Rathayatra.[1]
- Kali Puja[12]
- Saraswati Puja[13]
- Ashtami Snan on Chaitra Shukla Paksha Ashtami (ninth day during the waxing phase of moon in Chaitra Month) as per Hindu Lunar Calendar[14]
Buddhist[edit]
- Buddha Purnima - Buddha's Birthday[15]
- Madhu Purnima[16]
- Kathin Chibardan - offering of woven robe made of cotton to monks and nuns.[17]
Christian[edit]
- Boro Din or Christmas - on 25 December of the Gregorian calendar.[18]
- Easter Sunday[19]
Patriotic and National Observances[edit]
- Language Movement Day - (International Mother Language Day); Colours worn: [20]
- Genocide Remembrance Day; Colours worn:
- National day of mourning (15 August); Colours worn:
- Independence Day; Colours worn: [21]
- Armed Forces Day[22]
- Martyred Intellectuals Day; Colours worn: [23]
- Victory Day; Colours worn: [24]
Cultural festivals[edit]
General[edit]
Music[edit]
- Dhaka World Music Festival (music)[25]
- Bengal Classical Music Festival[26]
- International Folk Festival[27][28]
Folk[edit]
- Pahela Baishakh - on the 1st day of the Bengali calendar and summer festival; also called Bangla Noboborsho; Colours worn: [29]
- Boshonto Utshob - Spring festival also known as Pohela Falgun; Colours worn: [30]
- Nabanna - Winter and harvest festival; Colours worn: [31]
- Borsha Utshob - Monsoon festival; Colours worn:
- Nouka Baich - Boat racing festivals held after the monsoon when rivers are filled
Others[edit]
- Bengal Original Culture Festival[32]
- Cinemaking International Film Festival[33]
- Dhaka Festival[34]
- Dhaka Art Summit[35]
- Hay Festival Dhaka[36]
- Dhaka Fashion Week[37]
- Dhaka International Film Festival[38]
- Chobi Mela International Photography Festival[39]
- CRACK International Art Camp
- International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
- Bioscope Children's Photography Festival
Fairs[edit]
- Ekushey Book Fair - in Dhaka on the month of February of the Gregorian calendar.[40]
- Dhaka International Trade Fair[41]
- National Tree Fair - Month-long National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair.
- National Fisheries Week and Fish Fair - Week-long National Fiash Trade and Fair.[42][43]
Local events[edit]
- Shakrain - in Dhaka at the end of the Poush of the Bengali calendar.[44]
- Jatiya Pitha Utsab - National Pitha (Cake) Festival.[45]
- Joy Bangla Concert - annual concert to mark the 7 March Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib.
- Nouka Baich[46]
- Bisu Mela[47]
Public holidays[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated in Bangladesh". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Eid ul-Adha helps Bangladesh farmers - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Chaand Raat in Old Dhaka". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Holy Ashura on Oct 24". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Bangladesh forces arrest 7 militants during raid on JMB hideout". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Dhaka yet to get over Eid hangover despite end of holidays". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Try old town bakeries this Shab-e-Barat". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "What is the festival of Bishwa Ijtema and where is it held?". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Durga Puja public holiday on Oct 21". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Janmashtami being celebrated". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ Rahman, Aunik. "Dolyatra". www.ebanglapedia.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Kali Puja in the time of Diwali". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Saraswati Puja celebration across the country". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Holy Ashtami Snan starts tomorrow". The Daily Star. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Tolerance in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Madhu Purnima - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "News Details". www.bssnews.net. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ AsiaNews.it. "BANGLADESH Christmas among banana trees and under bamboo stars". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Christians observe Easter Sunday". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Bangladesh pays tribute to Language Movement martyrs". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "5 militants held in Bangladesh, authorities suspect they had planned attacks on the country's Independence Day - Firstpost". Firstpost. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Armed Forces Day being marked". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Martyred Intellectuals Day observed in Bangladesh". dna. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Victory Day celebrated in Bangladesh with 'renewed joy'". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "A World of Music Descends on Dhaka". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Bengal ITC SRA Classical Music Fest ends on a high note". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Dhaka International Folk Fest". beautifulbangladesh.gov.bd. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ "Dhaka International Folk Fest | Dhaka, Bangladesh Events". Lonely Planet.
- ^ "Ushering in Noboborsho in a thousand voices". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Pohela Falgun being celebrated". www.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Nobanno celebrations in Chittagong". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "1st Bengali Original Cultural Festival ends". Daily Sun. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ "Award of Cinemaking International Film Festival announced". TheIndependent. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "The Festival organized by Dhaka Festival". UNB. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "The Dhaka Art Summit Gives Bangladesh A Global Spotlight". Forbes. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Hay Festival to begin November 20". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Dhaka Fashion Week 2011 (PHOTOS)". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Dhaka International Film Festival begins". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Capturing the essence of resistance". Tehelka - Investigations, Latest News, Politics, Analysis, Blogs, Culture, Photos, Videos, Podcasts. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Hundreds of thousands throng Ekushey Book Fair at the end". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "PM inaugurates Dhaka International Trade Fair 2016". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "National fisheries week 2018: Ilish production up by 150%". Dhaka Tribune. 24 July 2018.
- ^ "Maintain global standard in fish production for export: PM". The Daily Star. 18 July 2019.
- ^ "The Shakrain Festival in Bangladesh". RYOT News. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Jatiya Pitha Utsab". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ "Of boats and paddles". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ "All set to welcome Bangla New Year - New Age". New Age. Retrieved 19 March 2016.