‘Jalkeli’ festival is going on in the Rakhine neighborhood to welcome the new year by erasing the gloom and imperfections of the old year which is called 'Sangrai' Rilong in Rakhine language. This festival has started with various arrangements for three days and the mind of Rakhines has been touched.
On Tuesday (April 16), the biggest three-day 'Jalkeli' festival started in Namishipara of Taltali upazila of Barguna district. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sifat Anwar (Tumpa) inaugurated the festival on this occasion.
It is known that every year on Rakhine New Year, Rakhine children, teenagers and young people welcome the New Year by sprinkling water on each other. Rakhine cultural programs and dancing and singing, they are like a great festival. Since ancient times, the Rakhine New Year has been socially celebrated as the Sangrang Poe festival. This time was no exception. Everyone is welcoming the New Year with joy.
Jalkeli organizers said, this festival is a message of goodness leaving behind the old or inauspicious, we celebrate this festival here every year with colorful arrangements. Locals including people from the Rakhine community also come and liven up the festival. The upazila administration, police administration and local political figures have fully cooperated in organizing the festival.
Rakhine leader Mongchin Thanh said it was another attempt to soften the whiteness of the water. This festival is not based on any religious tradition. As part of the Rakhine New Year celebrations, the game of throwing water at each other is played here according to social customs.
Rakhine Chanda said, on the occasion of the festival, the elderly Banita from every Rakhine village accompanied the procession to the Buddhist monastery. In this, the young carry earthen pots and the old carry Kalpataru.
Taltali Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sifat Anwar (Tumpa) told Berta24.com that this upazila is mainly a Rakhine populated area. Every year this festival is celebrated here. All kinds of cooperation is being given from the administration around this event.