Mangal Shobhajatra
Mangal Shobhajatra or Mangal Shovajatra ( Bengali মঙ্গল শোভাযাত্রা Mangal śobhāyātrā , "Procession of luck message") is happens every year folk parade on the occasion of the New Year's Day ( Pahela Boishakh on April 14 ) to Bengali calendar of students and teachers of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University Dhaka in Bangladesh . In 2016, the event was inscribed on UNESCO 's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity .
history
The tradition of Mangal Shobhajatra is not very old. The first such event took place in 1989. At that time, Bangladesh was under the military regime of General Hossain Mohammad Ershad (who was overthrown in 1990). In order to distract people from the apparently gloomy political and social perspectives, and at the same time to act out and show their artistic creativity, students and teachers of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University decided to organize a parade with self-made and painted masks and figures. During the procession, large, colorful masks and figures were shown that represented human faces, as well as animal and symbolic figures. In terms of design, the move was somewhat reminiscent of the floats at the carnival parade , but without the satirical element and political allusions. Instead, the masks and figures cited motifs from Bengali folklore and folk art. Every year since 1989 a new Mangal Shobhajatra has taken place on Bengali New Year's Day, which was organized by art students and teachers. Thousands of people always take part in the procession. In the meantime, the move has become something of a national institution for the young Bangladeshi nation. Mangal Shobhajatra is considered a secular festival of togetherness, solidarity and peaceful coexistence of the Bangladeshi people.
World Heritage
At the initiative of the Academy for the Bengali Language ( Bangla Academy ), Bangladesh applied for Mangal Shobhajatra to be included in the UNESCO intangible world heritage list in 2015. At the 11th session of the Committee for the Preservation of the Intangible World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in Addis Ababa from November 28 to December 2, 2016, Mangal Shobhajatra was included in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Web links
- Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh, Bangladesh , short YouTube video about Mangal Shobhajatra and the preparations for it
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh. UNESCO, accessed February 3, 2017 .
- ↑ Cultural Affairs ministry to celebrate UNESCO recognition for Mangal Shobhajatra. NTV Bangladesh, January 9, 2017, accessed February 3, 2017 .
- ^ Eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (PDF) UNESCO, accessed on February 4, 2017 (English).