Today we are participating in the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Christmas in Different Lands and I decided to stretch our regions and check out what Christmas is like in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is the third largest Muslim-majority country in the world which is why I was fascinated to see how they celebrate Christmas.
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| Dhaka December 15, 2016 By ASaber91 (Dhaka 15th Dec) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Decorations:
The big towns and cities have Western Christmas decorations
and having a Christmas tree is becoming more popular among Christians. A
popular decoration for different festive occasions in Bangladesh are Nishan which are strings made of
hundreds of small pink paper triangles. They also decorate their houses with
artificial stars on their rooftops to represent the star of Bethlehem. They
also cut banana trees and put them in pairs along the path to form an arch.
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| High Court of Bangladesh Night View on December 16, 2011 By Abu Nayeem (Own work) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Christians who live in big towns and cities usually try to
make it home to their villages to be with their families. Most families spend
Christmas Eve together and open gifts. On Christmas morning children can peak
at their stockings before heading to church.
Church:
Catholic Christians go to Midnight Mass. Christmas morning
church services are also popular.
Traditionally men sit on one side of the church and the women on the
other. The churches are illuminated by lights and the there is a festive spirit
of love, joy and sharing. Some churches hold celebrations that last several
days.
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| Patharghatta Catholic Church By Bazaan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
Food & Treats:
On Christmas Day there are often traditional sweets and
pithas (traditional Bengali cake) offered. Breakfast consists of foods like
cakes, pitha, semal or sandwiches. Lunch and dinner consist of different
vegetables, mutton, chicken, pork or beef with fruits, soft drinks and ice
creams.
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| Bengali Pitha By Monojit2522 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
If you would like to make your own pitha I found this tutorial on YouTube. It is in Bengali but the words are typed in English. We haven't had time to try it yet. Let me know if you do. I would love to hear how it turns out!
Sources:
Bangladesh.com Bara Din – Christmas in Bangladesh. http://www.bangladesh.com/blog/bara-din-christmas-in-bangladesh
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation. Bengali Christmas. (14
December 2014) https://www.facebook.com/BangladeshTourismCorporation/posts/693166320780843:0
Celebrating Christmas Editors. Christmas in Bangladesh. http://www.celebratingchristmas.co.uk/index47f2.html?id=christmas-in-bangladesh
Why Christmas Editors. Christmas in Bangladesh. https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/bangladesh.shtml
Wikipedia Editors. Bangladesh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh
Wikipedia Editors. Bangladesh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh
Welcome to our fifth annual Christmas in Different Lands series! This year each participating blogger will focus on a different country, sharing a traditional dish and more about Christmas in that country. For even more glimpses of global Christmas celebrations, see our series from previous years (2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016) plus follow our Christmas board on Pinterest!
Follow Multicultural Kid Blogs's board Christmas Around the World on Pinterest.
December 11
Crafty Moms Share: Bangladesh
December 12
Raising a Trilingual Child: Italy
December 15
The Good Long Road on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Israel
December 21
Gianna the Great: Choctaw Nation
December 22
American Mom in Bourdeaux: France
Don't miss our other posts about Christmas in different lands, plus our printable pack Celebrate Christmas Around the World, on sale now!
