By Subir kumar sorkar from Horirampur, Manikgonj
In Manikganj, BARCIK’s Jaynagar Agroecology Learning Center organized the Nabanna (New Rice) festival to celebrate the harvest of deep-water Boro Aman rice recently with facilitation support from BARCIK.
Fifty-one farmers from Jaynagar, Manta, and Begumnagar participated over seven days in harvesting, threshing, drying, and cooking rice, offering the first rice on banana leaves according to Bengali Hindu traditions.
The festival marks the beginning of the month of Agrahayan in the Bengali calendar, celebrating the harvest and food sovereignty of rural communities. Traditional customs, including making pitha and payesh from new rice and sharing meals with relatives and children, were followed.
It is to mention that Nabanna preserves agricultural heritage and fosters community cohesion, marking the joy of a bountiful harvest with cultural and non-sectarian celebrations.
