Culture of Bengal

Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divided between the sovereign country Bangladesh and the Indian regions of West Bengal, Tripura, Barak Valley of Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and parts of Meghalaya, Manipur and Jharkhand. Most speak Bengali, a classical language from the Indo-Aryan language family.

thumb|Woman's white muslin dress with tiered flounces, Europe, c. 1855 Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq.

luni-solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent

alt=|thumb|A Baul from Lalon|Lalon Shah's shrine in Kushtia, Bangladesh thumb|upright|Ektara, a common musical instrument of Bauls

Desi ( or or ; Hindustani: देसी , , ), also Deshi (Bengali: দেশী), is a loose term used to describe the peoples, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora, derived from Sanskrit (), meaning 'land' or 'country'. Desi traces its origin to the people from the South Asian republics of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and may also sometimes be extended to include peoples, cultures and products of Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.

socio-cultural and religious reform movement in Bengal, in the 19th and early 20th centuries

literature in Bengali language

thumb|An Ektara from Bangladesh

Bengali classical dance tradition

thumb|right|Nakshi Kantha|Traditional kantha stitching in [[Bangladesh]] Kantha (Bengali: কাঁথা; Hindi: कान्था), also spelled kanta or qanta, is a type of embroidery craft in Bangladesh and eastern regions of India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. thumb|Antique quilted kantha inscribed with the meditative chant Ram Krishna, courtesy the Wovensouls collection, Singapore In Odisha, old saris are stacked on each other and hand-stitched to make a thin piece of cushion. This is normally used above a bed cushion or instead of a cushion. Kantha saris are traditi

school of Indian painting

system of numerals

Oladevi is the goddess of cholera and is worshipped by people of Bengal region (consisting of the present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) and Marwar, Rajasthan. The goddess is also known as Olaichandi, Olabibi and Bibima. She is venerated by Hindus of Bengal.

folk-theatre form of Bengali theatre

red dye to adorn hands and feet especially of women for weddings and festivals in the Indian subcontinent

Bengal architectural style

thumb|Statue of goddess Bonbibi Bonbibi, is a legendary lady of the forest, dubbed as a guardian spirit of the forests and venerated by both the Hindu and the Muslim residents of the Sundarbans. She is called upon mostly by the honey-collectors and the woodcutters before entering the forest for protection against the attacks from the tigers. It is believed that the demon king, Dakkhin Rai (or Dakshin Rai; meaning Lord of the South), an arch-enemy of Bonbibi actually appears in the disguise of a tiger and attacks human beings.

thumbnail|right|Harvesting preparation Nobanno (, Nobānno; lit: New Feast) is a Bengali harvest celebration usually celebrated with food and dance and music in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam's Barak Valley and Eastern parts of Jharkhand. It is a festival of food; many local preparations of Bengali cuisine like pitha are cooked.

the concept of honour

the influence of the supernatural in culture

thumb|200px|Mother grinding ants for her family thumb|'Dokra' items for sale at the West Bengal State Handicrafts' Fair in New Town, Kolkata. Dhokra (also spelt Dokra) is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. One of the earliest known lost wax artifacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro. The product of dhokra artisans are in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. Dhokra horses, elephants, pea

annual fair and festival in Santiniketan

Bhadralok (, ) is Bengali for the new class of 'gentlefolk' who arose during British rule in India in the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent.

festival day celebrated in Bangladesh, West Bengal, and in the other Indian states

Bengali Muslim saint who lived during the spread of Islam in Bengal

thumb|Behula sails with her dead husband, scene from Manasamangal Kāvya|Manasa Mangal thumb|right|Ruins claimed to be Lakshmindara-Behula's bridal chamber, near Bogra in [[Bangladesh]] Behula ( beula, ) is a protagonist in the Manasamangal genre of Assamese, Angika and Bengali medieval epics. A number of works belonging to this genre were written between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Though the religious purpose of these works is to eulogise the Hindu goddess Manasa, these works are more well known for depicting the love story of Behula and her husband Lakhindar (or Lakshindar or La

political and cultural festival in Kolkata

Barowari () refers to the public organisation of a religious entity, mainly in West Bengal, India. Barowari has significance associated with the Durga Puja festival, in which the Hindu Goddess Durga is worshipped; symbolising the victory of good over evil. The word "Barowari" comes from the Sanskrit words "bar", which means public, and Persian word "wari", means For.

Bengali Hindu wedding refers to the traditional Bengali cultural wedding

a type of embroidered quilt

literally "guest area" where guests are entertained

Gananatya, or Gananatya Sangha, which started the Gananatya Andolan (People's Theatre Movement), were a radical theatre group which attempted to bring social and political theater to rural villages in Bengal during the colonial rule in India in the 1930s and 1940s.

temple in India

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temple in India

Rathyatra in Mahesh

part of the Bengali wedding ceremony, involving turmeric

building in India

Bangla-language poetry

Ululudhvani (also known as Jokara, 'Uruli, Hula Huli or Hulu Huli') is a tradition in Assam, Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where during weddings and other festivals, women ululate. It symbolizes festivity and prosperity. It is performed heavily in the Durga Puja and Kali Puja festivities in Bengal.

overview of the Bengali culture

type of dance

19th-century artworks of Indian women

Agamani () () are genres of Bengali folk songs celebrating the return of the Goddess Parvati to the home of her parents on the eve of the Hindu autumn festival of Durga Puja. The Aagamani songs describe the return of Parvati to in her rural home, not as Goddess but as daughter, and are followed by Vijaya songs which describe the sorrow of separation three days later as Parvati returns to her husband Shiva.