The Chalanbil's Horse Races are annual
horse races
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
that take place in the
Chalan Beel region of
Pabna,
Natore,
Sirajganj
Sirajganj ( bn, সিরাজগঞ্জ) is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 167,200 is the fourteenth most populo ...
,
Bogra, and
Naogaon
Naogaon ( bn, নওগাঁ ''Nôogã'') is a city and district headquarter of Naogaon District in northern Bangladesh. It is located in the bank of Mini Jamuna river. It is the centre of commerce within the Naogaon District. The area of th ...
district, in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
History
Although there is no record of when the festivals actually started in this region, locals organize it regularly in
Baishakh
Boishakh (, ne, बैशाख, ''Bôishakh'', ''Baishakh'') is the first month in the Assamese calendar, Bengali calendar and Nepali calendar. This month lies between the second half of April and the first half of May.
Etymology
The name of ...
. People of
Chalan Beel organize the traditional horse race competitions every year at Notabaria village of
Chatmohar Upazila
Chatmohar ( bn, চাটমোহর) is an upazila of Pabna District in the Division of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Geography
Chatmohar is located at . It has 39489 households and a total area of 314.32 km2.
Demographics
As of the 2011 Banglade ...
. Horse owners from different districts of Chalanbill region participate in the race every year.
The races were themselves patronized by the
Zamindars of Natore, mainly the
Dighapatia Raj family. It is a matter of tradition for the local people. "It is the inherited pride of my family that I, my father and grandfather participated in horse race competitions. I hope my next generation will keep the tradition alive." racers say.
Event
The horse race
competition
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
is three days long. A
fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
is also organized at neighboring Notabaria field marking the traditional
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
. Over a hundred shops were set up in the village fair. The competition was held in two categories:
* Sprint race using leg combination (called ''Mill Dour'' in local language) and
*
Hurdle race of horses (called ''Dhap Dour'').
Sources
See also
*
List of horse breeds
This article is a list of horse and pony breeds with articles on Wikipedia, and also includes terms for types of horse that are not necessarily standardized breeds but are often labeled as breeds. While there is no scientifically accepted defin ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chalanbeel Horse Races
Horse racing in Bangladesh
Horse races in Bangladesh