Culture of Birbhum

One of the oldest villages in the district is Kundola and its contribution in the field of culture is unparalleled.It reached its highest stage in yatra,theatre.The Zamindars used to spend a lot of money for upholding the cultural fame of this village.Many concrete stages are the witness of this.This is supposed to be the only village in the district where a separate primary school for the girls was set up by the Zamindars.

Baul singers at Santiniketan

The bauls of Birbhum, their philosophy and their songs form a notable representation of the folk culture of the district. Birbhum has also been home to kabiyals, kirtaniyas and other folk culture groups^.
The numerous fairs in Birbhum start with Poush Mela at Santiniketan and follows through the Bengali month of Poush till Makar Sankranti. Particularly lively is the fair at Jaydev Kenduli.Various festivities are organized across the seasons.People of Birbhum patronise folk entertainment programmes such as jatra, kavigan and alkap.
Many poets were born in this district, as for example, Chandidas (Rami). In addition to being a confluence of Vaishnava, Shakta and Saiva cultures, Birbhum villages also observe prehistoric customs like worship of gramdevta (gram means village and devta means deity) in many forms at different places.
Amongst the major attractions of Birbhum are Bakreshwar, Tarapith and Patharchapuri. Birbhum has many old temples, such as the ones at Jaydev Kenduli, Surul and Nanoor, with delicate decorative tiles made of terra cotta (burnt clay).

West Bengal's culture is distinguished by its festivals, music, cinema, drama and literature. Being the land of Bankim Chandra, Rabindranath and Aurobindo, West Bengal is said to be the birth place of Modern Indian literature.

People of Bengal belong to diverse and ethnic social backgrounds. Festivals in a multidimensional scale are observed in spiritual ecstasy in the state. The entire state becomes lively during the Durga Puja (a Hindu festival) when the sound of Dhak, Dhunuchi nachh, the mild fragrance of Shiuli, gives a familiar tug in every Bengali heart.

Drama and theatre is an essential part of the Bengali culture. There are big and small theatre groups in various parts of the state featuring large outdoor stage plays.

Music and dances are also integral parts of the Bengali culture. Bengalis (people of Bengal) are closely associated with Rabindra Sangeet, Rabindra Nritya Natya (songs and song-dance sequences composed by Tagore) and Nazrul Geeti (songs by Kazi Nazrul Islam). Folk dances and songs are also popular in the city.

Bengalis are fond of Bhaat (rice) and Machher jhol (fish curry). There is a wide range of dishes and cuisines with variety of tastes. Bengal's wide range of sweets can live you quite winded. Don't miss the charm of Kolkata Rassagolla (a kind of sweet) while visiting West Bengal.

Festivals in West Bengal

 পয়লা বৈশাখ Poila Baisakh
Bengali New Year (নববর্ষ ) or Poila Baisakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar and first cultural program of any year in Bengal . It marks the beginning of a crop cycle in West Bengal and is considered as the most appropriate time for marriage. On this day, people wear new clothes and present sweets to their friends and relatives. Special cultural programmes are held in different part s of the city. A procession called ‘Prabhat Pheri’ is held early in the morning to welcome the New Year.

Poila Boishakh connects all ethnic Bengalis irrespective of religious and regional differences. In India, in West Bengal and Assam, it is a public (state) holiday and is publicly celebrated in mid-April. In Bangladesh, it is a national holiday celebrated around 14 April according to the official amended calendar designed by the Bangla Academy.

 Durga Puja দুর্গা পূজা
দুর্গা পূজা in English Durga Puja The greatest festival of Bengal ,The festival of Durga Puja brings in rejoice and festivity in West Bengal. The festival usually falls in the month of October for which the preparations begin in September itself. All Bengalis wear new clothes and prepare delicious foods to observe the festival with a new style. Durga Puja is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed asMahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to the traditional Hindu calendar and the fortnight corresponding to the festival is called Devi Paksha. Devi Paksha is preceded by Mahalaya (মহালয়া), the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Paksha

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripuraand West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday. In West Bengal and Tripura, which has majority of Bengali Hindus it is the biggest festival of the year. Not only is it the biggest Hindu festival celebrated throughout the State, but it is also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society. Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala. Durga Puja is also celebrated as a major festival in Nepal and in Bangladesh where 10% population are Hindu. Nowadays, many diaspora Bengali cultural organizations arrange for Durgotsab in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, among others. In 2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the British Museum

Kali Puja/Shyama Puja কালীপূজা/শ্যামাপূজা

Kali Puja/ Shyama Puja is celebrated everywhere in the state. This festival usually falls in the month of November. The importance of observing this festival is to propitiate Goddess Kali who is believed to be the destructor of all hostile forces. The festival brings rejoice among all people in the state.

The festival of Kali Puja is not an ancient one. Kali Puja was practically unknown before the 18th century, however a late 17th century devotional text Kalika mangalkavya –by Balram mentions an annual festival dedicated to Kali. It was introduced in Bengal during the 18th century, by King (Raja) Krishnachandra of Navadvipa. Kali Puja gained popularity in the 19th century, with Krishanachandra’s grandson Ishvarchandra and the Bengali elite; wealthy landowners began patronizing the festival on a grand scale. Along with Durga Puja, now - Kali Puja is the biggest goddess festival in Bengal.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr,  often abbreviated toEid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, popularly known as the "Festival of the Breaking of the Fast", is celebrated as soon as the new moon is sighted at the end of the month of fasting i.e. Ramadan.  Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast". The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entiremonth of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal . Special food and delicacies are prepared for the day and are presented to neighbors and friends. The Muslims of West Bengal celebrate Id-ul-Fitr with great enthusiasm. Eid-ul-Fitr has a particular salah (Islamic prayer) consisting of two raka'ah (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may only be performed in congregation (Jama’at) and has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying Allah-u-Akbar [God is Great]), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just beforeruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school. This Eid ul-Fitr salah is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard (obligatory), Mustahabb (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable). 

Saraswati Puja

Vasant Pancham sometimes referred to as Vasant Panchami or Shree Panchami is a Hindu festivalce lebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge,music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. On the eve of Saraswati Puja, girls dress in yellow saris to emulate Goddess Saraswati. The Puja is basically observed in schools and colleges with idols of Saraswati, who is believed to be the Goddess of Education and Arts in Indian mythology, making the festival special for students. Students pray to the divine Mother for their success in studies and wish for a bright future.

Saraswati (in Sanskrit sara means essence and swa means self) meaning eis traditionally depicted with a serene and calm expression with a majestic air. She is seated on a white lotus in Padmasana, adorned by a pure white silk sari, has a book in her lower left hand, her lower right hand showing the chinmudra, Aksharamala in her right upper hand, and Amrithakalasam in her left upper hand. Both eyes are full of compassion. The vehicle assigned to each of the three goddesses also symbolically represent their special powers. Goddess Saraswati is the consort of Lord Brahma (Lord of Creation) and is the goddess of wisdom and learning. Saraswati is the one who gives the essence (sara) of our own self (swa). She is considered as the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and other skills. She has a beautiful and elegant presence, is pure white in colour, clad in a white sari, seated on a white lotus, representing purity and brilliance. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has the sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus (a symbol of true knowledge) in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on the veena.

Shivratri
Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year in reverence of Lord Shiva. Alternate common names/spellings include Maha Sivaratri, Shivaratri,Sivarathri, and Shivaratri. Shivaratri literally means the great night of Shiva or the night of Shiva. It is celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day of the Maagha or Phalguna month of theHindu calendar. Since many different calendars are followed by various ethno-linguistic groups of India, the month and the Tithi name are not uniform all over India. Celebrated in the dark fortnight or Krishna Paksha(waning moon) of the month of Maagha according to the Shalivahana orGujarati Vikrama or Phalguna according to the Vikrama era. This is a festival observed in honor of Lord Shiva and it is believed that on this day Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati. This is an important day for the devotees of Lord Shiva, who stay awake throughout the night, praying to him. It is a grand occasion for the people of West Bengal. From the very early morning, Shiva temples are thronged with devotees, mostly women, who come to perform the traditional worship of the Shivalinga.