Three-day long of Baishabi festival begins in Rangamati today.

Prokriti Ranjan Chakma, president of Bangladesh Adibasi Forum, CHT region, inaugurated the colourful Ful Biju programmes at Rajbari ghat.

Every hilly place and indigenous people around the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) now are in a festive mood to welcome Biju, Boisu, Bishu, Bihu, Sangrai and the Bangla New Year.

Indigenous people belonging to different ethnic groups say good bye to the past year and celebrate the New Bangla Year with new hopes through various colourful programmes.

Chakma boys and girls floating flower at Kaptai Lake on April 12, 2018. The photo was taken from Rajbari area. Photo: Star/ Anvil Chakma

The festival is called by different names by several ethnic groups. The Chakma people call it Bizu, Tanchangya calls Bishu, Tripura calls Boisu and Marma calls it Sangrai.

For Chakmas, the first day celebration starts with Ful Biju. At the Ful bizu Chakma people get up early, clean their houses, decorate them with flowers, and float flowers in rivers, canals and springs to seek blessings from the god of peace and prosperity. Then in the evening, they go to Buddhist temples and light candles.

The second day is called Mulbiju. This day they cook a kind of popular item, a specialty of the indigenous people, called “Pajon”. It’s is cooked by different items collected from the jungle. And the last day, known as "Goijja Pojjya Din", is spent by taking rest and going to monasteries for prayers to live happily throughout the new year.

Chakma girls floating flower at Kaptai Lake on April 12, 2018. The photo was taken from Rajbari area. Photo: Star/ Anvil Chakma

During the festival, different ethnic events, including Chakma dance, Marma Chata Nach, Pani Khela and Tripura Goraiya dance etc are held to celebrate the programme highlighting their distinctive cultural features.

A water festival, one of the most popular events of Marma community during the season, will took place at Narikel Bagan area of Rangamati town on April 18.