The people of Bangladesh’s way of life make up the culture of Bangladesh. The country has a diverse culture that has evolved over time with influences from diverse social groups. Bangladesh’s primary religions, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, have played a critical role in influencing the country’s culture.
Development of the Bengali culture proliferated in the 19th century and part of the 20th century during the Bengal Renaissance, with renowned Bengali writers, scientists, filmmakers, musicians, artists, and researchers playing a critical role. This culture manifests in the nation’s dance, music, literature, architecture, and even clothing.
The most widespread religion in Bangladesh is Islam, which constitutes 87% of the citizens of the nation. Buddhism and Hinduism are also popular religions. A tiny part of Bangladesh’s population includes Christians and Sikhs, with others being atheists. The four religious national holidays are Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Buddha Purnima, and Durga Puja.
The culture of Bangladesh incorporates festivals and celebrations. These events include Eid ul-Adha, Chand Raat, and Eid ul-Fitr from Islam as well as Janmashtami and Durga Puja from Hinduism. Other festivals in Bangladesh include the Christian Christmas and Buddha Purnima from the Buddhist religion. The people of Bangladesh also celebrate national holidays like Independence Day and Language Movement Day. Bengali marriage comes in the form of traditional weddings which follows Muslim procession and has matchmakers called Ghotoks involved in the arrangement. The other religions in Bangladesh have different wedding methods although they sometimes follow Bengali procession.
The dress preferences in Bangladesh are unique. Bangladeshi men’s casual wear in rural areas is the lungi with formal clothing being suits or shirts and trousers. On cultural and religious occasions, men have traditional wear called Panjabi. In women, the traditional and main dress is the Shari, with young females also wearing salwar kameez. Bangladesh’s cuisine is renowned for having a distinctive culinary tradition. The nation’s staple food is rice served with various food items such as vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, curries, and thick lentil soups. The country has many sweet preparations including Bangladesh’s sweetmeats which are milk based. These delicacies include shondesh, rasmalai, Chom-Chom, rasgulla, and Kala jam. The primary source of protein in Bangladesh is fish, with over 40 types of freshwater fish including Katla, catfish called magur, and shutki machh. Eating beef is not a taboo in the country, with beef curry being essential in Bengal cuisine.
Sport is an integral part of the culture of Bangladesh, and a very popular source of entertainment. Bangladesh’s national sport is Kabaddi. The most popular game in the country is cricket with football coming in second. The national cricket team of Bangladesh is eligible to play Test cricket, a status that was established in 2000. Bangladesh participates in international competitions such as the Olympic, Asian, and Commonwealth Games. Traditional sports in the country include Kho Kho and Lathi Khela.
