Nabanna Utsab’, a Bengali festival of harvesting new crops, was celebrated here on Thursday amid festivity and fervour among the rural people.
Celebration of this festival of bringing new crops home has been celebrated in this region for centuries and has become an integral part of the tradition and culture.
Marking the festival, Department of Agriculture Expansion (DAE) and Agricultural Training Institute chalked out elaborate programmes that included bringing out colorful rally in the city, making and distributing cakes and rice pudding made of newly harvested rice and cultural function.
Agriculturists Kazi Abdul Mannan attended the function as the chief while Deputy Director of DAE Agriculturist Pankaj Kanti Mojumder presided over the ceremony. Principal of Agriculture Training Institute Agriculturist Dr S M Ferdous addressed as special guest.
Speaking on the occasion, Agriculturist Kazi Abdul Mannan said the Nabanna Utsab is celebrated all over the country as people from towns and cities gather to join the village people to have the taste of rural atmosphere and culture.
This is a joyous time in the village as the farmers return home with loads of golden paddy and the women make different types of home-made cakes with rice flour, to mark the festival.
DD Pankaj said the celebration of the festival — of bringing new crops home — has been an inseparable part of the tradition and culture of eternal Bangla. A large number of people including district and upazila level officials, students, agri-officials, social workers, NGO activists and media men took part in the programmes.