A Winter Worshipper of Nature and Tradition

 

Bangladesh is a green land of natural beauty, in such a land of six seasons, each season emerges with its own characteristics. Although Paush and Magh months are winter, winter starts from Agrahayan month. The arrival of such a winter can be seen everywhere in the atmosphere and in water and land. Indeed, the maturity of the Hemanta is followed by the "ruthless old age" of the stagnant winter season. Winter appears as a gloomy image of dry hardness and emptiness. However, many people like the nature of the whiteness of this winter, it touches the mind. The characteristics of winter are completely different from the other five seasons in the seasonal cycle of Bangladesh. Winter is after autumn and before spring. Basically winter brings dry look and cold feeling. At this time, rural Bengal is wrapped in a winter blanket. In the early morning, it is covered in a thick blanket of fog. Bones shivered in the cold wind. Nature becomes silent in winter. Green nature takes rough shape. Most of the plants begin to lose their leaves due to the dryness of winter. Winter in its form of extreme dryness hangs over nature. Winter comes as the epitome of harshness, bitterness and sadness. Nature fades away in the heat of winter.

Winter mornings are naturally cold and shrouded in thick fog. Everything becomes blurry, nothing in front can be seen properly, everything seems blurry. Sometimes the layer of fog is so thick that it looks like a mountain of fog is standing in front of you. The sun rises very late. The pure light of the sun spreads over nature. It seems that there is no brightness in the sunlight. From late night, dew drops accumulate on the leaves of the trees. And in the morning the dewdrops fall like rain in big drops. In the morning, the dew on the tips of the grass in the field glistens in the sunlight. The dewdrops on the paddy-vegetables sparkle like pearls in the golden rays of the sun. At this time, the village began to harvest rice. The smell of fresh rice floats in the air. In winter, harvest festival is held everywhere in the cities and villages.

The view of the golden fields of ripe paddy in winter is irresistible. Soon after harvesting the ripe paddy and bringing it home, the farmers are again busy with boro cultivation. In the foggy morning, the farmer walks in the fields with the plow and yoke of oxen on his shoulder. Although this scene is not seen much nowadays, still in some areas cow plowing is practiced. Farmers spend the whole day busy in cultivation. They are busy tending to the boro seed beds, protecting the fields from winter by changing the water in the morning and afternoon to protect the newly planted boro plantations.

Winter mornings and afternoons in the countryside are wonderful. The long winter nights are spent huddled in blankets. Wake up in the morning and wait for the sun to rise. The smoke of drinking tea falls in the tea shops.

In the sweet morning sun, children bask in the sun while eating chira, muri, and palm molasses. As the days are short in the winter days, it is like evening when the day comes over the head. At this time, everyone wears colorful winter clothes including jackets, sweaters, mufflers and coats to escape from the cold, variety comes in dress. Varieties looked at these clothes and closed his eyes. In winter, nature seems to relax. In the dryness of winter, nature assumes a faded-rough image. A bone-chilling cold is one of the many uncomfortable sensations of chapped lips and feet. To protect from winter, the value of various cosmetics increases.

The sweet juice of dates in the winter mornings catches everyone's mind. Date palm juice is not available except in winter. Gachiras cut trees in a special way to collect date palm juice in winter. At the beginning of Hemant, the date palm trees are cut to extract the juice. There is also some trick to cutting date palm trees and extracting the juice from them. No one can cut trees well or extract sap. When, how, where and how to cut and which will not kill the tree, but get more sap, only a skilled arborist knows well. As the winter progresses, the sweetness of date palm juice also increases. Date palm juice has a wonderful association with winter. At that time, the sweet honey juice was extracted from the honey tree, a symbol of pride and tradition, and the making of pitha, pies and gur patali started in full swing from house to house in the village. In villages, the sweet smell of Nole gur, Jhola gur, Dana gur and Batali gur, made from date palm juice, was half a meal. Date juice pies, pita soaked in juice, and various other delicious dishes were not available. But with the passage of time, date palm juice has completely disappeared from nature.

Winter without pie is unimaginable, so winter is also called pitha season. Although there are about 150 varieties of this pithapuli, there are currently around 30 types of pitha in our Bangladesh. Each pitha is not only unique in taste, but each and every one of their ingredients contains special features. A young village girl or a shy bride brings rice powder to the dance floor of a young girl or a shy bride. Various pithas are prepared everywhere in winter. In the village, the colorful pita-kheer-pais is eaten. Pithapuli is made from house to house. Various types of pithas including juice pitha, oil pitha, patisapta and vapa, which are mind-blowing. At this time, various pitha festivals were started by various organizations. Apart from that, Paush-Sankranti festival gathers with pies made of date juice and various pithas. Apart from home, it is great fun to eat hot vapapitha and patisapata made with atap rice powder, pipe jaggery and coconut in the bazaar in the evening. Watching others eat makes your tongue water without your knowledge.

Winter means Bengali pitha-puli festival. Winter pitha-puli is a part of Bengali's original food culture. Pies occupy a special place in the traditional folk food culture of Bengal. Just as winter cannot be imagined without the cool breeze of Poush, Bengali tradition cannot be imagined without pitha. In winter, the busyness of pitha making can be seen across the country. Especially in rural areas, pitha is made in every house. In the evening, the brides of the village sit by the stove and spend busy time making pitha.

Filled with winter vegetables. A variety of vegetables, including lettuce, spinach, beans, beets, gourds, tomatoes, carrots, turnips, and radishes, grace our diet. This scene cannot be understood without seeing the yellow fields of mustard flowers and the buzzing of bees. And colorful flowers like marigolds, dahlias, sunflowers, roses etc. decorate the winter. Flower shops are filled with spring flowers. At this time, to welcome guests on various occasions, flower shops are busy selling various types of flower branches, bouquets and garlands.

Another exciting attraction is the arrival of visiting birds in winter. Migratory birds come from different winter countries and take shelter in the rivers and reservoirs of our country. The sight of colorful birds fills the mind and the area is full of chirping. But some of these wicked people steal and hunt birds, which causes us great distress. Domestic and foreign tourists arrive in favorable winter weather. The foreign exchange income of our country increases with the arrival of foreign tourists. It enriches the economic sector. Tourists flock to the country's scenic spots and picnic spots. The educational tour starts from the educational institutions. Apart from that, picnics are organized everywhere, including village bazaars and open spaces.

Children and old people are more affected by winter fever, cold, cough, pneumonia and diarrhoea. At this time, the number of cold-related patients increased in hospitals and clinics. Disasters occur in the life of poor people in winter. During this time, they live a very inhuman life. Cold and dense fog are a daily occurrence in rural areas on winter mornings. Cold currents sometimes start in winter and at this time, the temperature drops very low. In the bone-shaking winter, nature as well as people and animals become numb. People try hard to escape from winter. At this time, the spirit of buying winter clothes fell. Everyone tries to protect themselves from the cold by buying warm clothes. In the mornings and nights of winter, scattered people try to fight the cold by lighting fires. People of all ages, including children and the elderly, can be seen warming themselves by making fire coils in the winter mornings. There is a different feeling in getting warmed by burning this fire. The vagrants seek shelter in the bazaars, schools and colleges. During this time, the government, philanthropists and various organizations distribute winter clothes to the poor and needy.

Cold in winters are harsh but the warmth of the wraps is very comforting and enjoyable. The whiteness of winter creates a distinct sensation in the mind, that's why people from all walks of life have a smile on their face and they are in a cheerful mood after wearing winter clothes. The poets say in the poem: Winter, winter, winter, the road to my village has gone far and crooked.

 
Md. Zillur Rahaman is a banker
 and a columnist.