| Holiday Name: | Shakrain Festival |
| Type: | Festival |
| Longtype: | Traditional |
| Nickname: | Poush Sangkranti |
| Date: | January 14 or 15 |
Shakrain Festival (Bengali: সাকরাইন; also known as Kite Festival and Ghuri Utsob) is an annual Bengali celebration in Dhaka, Bangladesh, observed with the flying of kites.[1] The celebration is uniquely celebrated by the Bengali Muslim Dhakaiya community based on Old Dhaka.[2] It occurs at the end of Poush, the ninth month of the Bengali calendar (January 14 or 15 on a leap year, according to the Gregorian calendar). The festival coincides with the holiday of Poush Sankranti This day is known as Poush Sankranti (Bengali: পৌষ সংক্রান্তি; End of Poush).[3]
Shakrain Festival is one of the oldest annual festivals of Bangladesh. It is a famous and a significant event in Bangladeshi culture. It is the symbol of unity and friendship in Bangladesh.
Shakrain is celebrated mostly around the southern part of Dhaka city.[4] As part of the celebration, colourful kites are flown high from the rooftops around the area in the afternoon.[1] [5] It often takes the form of kite fighting, in which participants try to snag each other's kites or cut other kites down.[5]
When night falls, fireworks light up the sky of old Dhaka. Flame-eaters also gather on the roofs to entertain people with their skills of manipulating fire.Music awakens the whole town, while people keep dancing from their hearts.Bringing thousands of people together to compete and have fun, it is an occasion and a day every youngster waits eagerly for. Every household competes to see who can cook the largest variety of pitas, and after midnight, there are games similar to dice games that are played, but with fruits. Variety of sweets & many food items specially Kacchi Biriyani, a traditional Bengali food of Old Dhaka, is also served on this occasional day