''Shakrain Festival'' ( bn, সাকরাইন; also known as Kite festival and ''Ghuri Utsob'') is an annual celebration in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

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 ...

, observed with the flying of

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

s. It occurs at the end of

Poush Poush ( bn, পৌষ; ne, पौष) is the 9th month of both the Bengali calendar and the Nepali calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season. This month marks the start of Wi ...

, the ninth month of the

Bengali calendar The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar ( bn, বঙ্গাব্দ , , Baṅgābda), colloquially ( bn, বাংলা সন, Baṅgla Śon), is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. A revised version of t ...

(January 14 or 15 in

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

). This day is known as ''Poush Sangkranti'' ( bn, পৌষ সংক্রান্তি; ''End of Poush''). ''Shakrain Festival'' is one of the oldest annual festivals of Bangladesh. It is a famous and a significant event in Bangladeshi culture. It is the symbol of unity and friendship in Bangladesh.

Events

''Shakrain'' is celebrated mostly around the southern part of Dhaka city. As part of the celebration, colourful kites are flown high from the rooftops around the area in the afternoon. It often takes the form of

kite fighting Fighter kites are kites used for the sport of kite fighting. Traditionally most are small, unstable single-line flat kites where line tension alone is used for control, at least part of which is manja, typically glass-coated cotton strands, ...

, in which participants try to snag each other's kites or cut other kites down. When night falls,

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

light up the sky of

old Dhaka Old Dhaka ( bn, পুরান ঢাকা, Puran Dhaka) is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar ( bn, জাহাঙ্গীরনগ� ...

. Flame-eaters also gather on the roofs to entertain people with their skills of manipulating fire. Music awakens the whole town, while people keep dancing from their hearts. Bringing thousands of people together to compete and have fun, it is an occasion and a day every youngsters wait eagerly for.

Gallery

File:Shakrain Festival 2020.jpg, Firework during the festival File:Shakrain Festival, 2015 ll সাকরাইন উৎসব, ২০১৫.jpg, Firework during the festival File:Kite festival at Shakrain.JPG File:Untitled Panoramauuup2.jpg File:SHAKRAIN-2015-PAN-002 FL.jpg File:Shakrain Kite Flyer.JPG File:Fireworks at Shakrain Festival.jpg File:Fireworks at Shakrain.jpg

References

Old Dhaka Festivals of Bangladeshi culture Kite festivals Cultural festivals in Bangladesh Spring festivals Festivals in Dhaka Sports festivals in Asia {{Bangladesh-stub

Events

Gallery

See also

References