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New Year festival of Chakma people
The
Bizu
festival is celebrated by the
Chakma people
in
Bangladesh
and
India
, as the traditional New Year's Day which falls on 13 or 14 April.
[1]
Bizhu
[
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]
Bizhu is a three-day-long festival that commemorates the commencement of a new year for the Chakmas and is their most important festival. Bizhu marks the
Chaitra
-
sankranti
, which is the last day of the
Bengali calendar
, and the festivities span a period of three days starting on the day of the Chaitra-sankranti. It is thought that the festival lasted for a full fortnight in earlier times. Bizhu has close links to the practice of
jhum cultivation
among the Chakmas and is believed to have originated as a festival to propitiate the earth for a bounteous harvest following the first rains of the agricultural season. In recent years, the festival has lost some of its agrarian linkages and has become a social event for the Chakmas. The rituals associated with Bizhu too have been simplified over time.
[2]
[3]
The festivities begin on the first day, also known as the
Phool Bizhu
, when Chakma households are cleaned out and decked with flowers. In the evening special prayers are made to the
Buddha
and lamps lit at the Chakmas' houses and
Buddhist temples
. The next day,
Mul Bizhu
, is a time for socialising as people visit others in their village, participate in traditional games and cook special curries and sweets for the day. According to Chakma belief, a person dying on the day of
Mul Bizhu
goes to
heaven
.
[2]
The
Mul Bizhu
ends with a performance of the Bizhu dance. The last day,
Gojjepojje din
is set aside for the performance of various religious and social activities.
[3]
[4]
Bizhu dance
[
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]
Bizhu dance is a dance performed by the
Chakma people
on their new year, Bizu and is one of the traditional dances of Chakma people.
The Bizhu dance is a group dance with participants aligning themselves in a square or circular pattern. The Chakmas dress up in their traditional attire when participating in it. It is thought to have originally been a devotional offering performed within the precincts of the Chakmas' temples. The dance is unlike other dance forms in that it is marked by abrupt pauses during its performance. In recent years it has enjoyed a surge in popularity owing to its appealing rhythm and easy tunes. Through the Bizhu dance, the Chakmas bid adieu to the departing year and usher in the new year.
[2]
[5]
[6]
Attire
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]
The women wear
pinon
and
khadi
and deck themselves in
silver
ornaments while the men wear a
headgear
called
khabang
and a
dhoti
and jacket.
[2]
Musical accompaniments
[
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]
The dance draws some of its charm by virtue of the music that accompanies it. Flutes and drums accompanying the dance set its rhythm. The
dhol
,
baajhi
,
khenggarang
and
dhuduk
accompany the dance. Of these, the
khenggarang
and
dhuduk
are crafted from
bamboo
while the
dhol
is a percussion instrument and the
baajhi
a
flute
.
[2]
[5]
[7]
References
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