C T Online Desk: The three-day Sangrai festivities of the Rakhine community has started in Cox’s Bazar.
The festival started around 2pm on Wednesday.
The festival is being celebrated in 50 locations across Cox’s Bazar district under the patronage of Cox’s Bazar Cultural Centre with 12 pandals erected in Cox’s Bazar city.
In preparation for the festivities, Rakhine villages have been adorned with colourful decorations for the past several days. Following the inauguration, Rakhine youths move from one neighbourhood to another, or from one pandal to another, engaging in dance, song, and jubilant celebrations.
As per the Rakhine calendar, the year 1385 is drawing to a close, with the approaching year 1386 marked by hope for a brighter future amid the challenges of the past.
Rakhine New Year, known as 1384 Mogi or Rakhine year, is celebrated with enthusiasm across Cox’s Bazar.
In Cox’s Bazar city, a dozen pandals have been erected in areas including East Fish Market, West Fish Market, Fulbag Road, Kang Para, Hangarpara, Tekpara, Burmese School Road, Buddhist Mandir Road, and Chaul Bazar.
Similar arrangements are underway in various other locations across the district, including Maheshkhali, Teknaf, Chakaria, Harbang, Ramu, and Chowfaldandi.
Members of the Rakhine community are enjoying the festivities, visiting pandals in Rakhine villages to witness various cultural performances alongside members of different local communities.
Missen Rakhine, a Rakhine girl, described the festival as a communal celebration not tied to any religious tradition. As part of the Rakhine New Year celebrations, water throwing games are a customary social practice aimed at ushering in the new year with joy and cleansing away the burdens of the past.
Mae Kin Rakhine, another Rakhine girl from Cox’s Bazar’s Tekpara area, outlined the morning procession’s route, which includes visits to Buddhist monasteries and pandals for water throwing games. This ritual symbolizes the washing away of sins, fatigue, and inconsistencies of the old year, welcoming the new year with renewed vigour.
Wan Kin Rakhine, echoing the sentiment, emphasized the festival’s significance as a time to let go of past grievances and embrace joy and unity through the symbolic act of water splashing.
Mong Cheng Hla Rakhine, director of Cox’s Bazar Cultural Centre, affirmed the continuation of the festival for the next three days, a tradition upheld annually by the cultural centre.
Additional Superintendent of Police Rafiqul Islam assured the public of necessary security measures, with law enforcement agencies deployed to ensure safety during the festival of the Rakhines.
