Folk Culture

KARISMA AMJAD
LECTURER
DHAKA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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FOLK CULTURE
Bangladesh for centuries has been an agricultural society. Obviously,
its folk culture is based on the rituals and rhythms of rural life. Despite
the trends of urbanization and globalization, the underlying culture, in
both urban and rural communities is folk oriented.
Folk culture refers to a culture traditionally practiced by a small,
homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups.
[Rubenstein, James (2011). The Cultural Landscape. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. p. 510]

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 TRENDS OF FOLK CULTURE:

1. বস্তুগত/Material
2. মানসজাত/ Formalised
3. অনুষ্ঠাননক/ Functional
4. প্রদর্শন মূ লক/ Performing

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1. বস্তুগত/MATERIAL:
House, building, furniture, utensils, transport, professional implements,
cottage-craft, funny goods, costumes, foodstuffs, medicines, etc.

Farmers produce various crops/ কৃষক

weavers produce cloth, /তাাঁনত- muslin, JAMDANI
Potters produce utensils, /কুমার- Hindu gods and
goddesses, craftsmanship
Carpenters produce furniture- wooden beds, doors,
door frames, boats- mayurpankhi, saptadinga,
chauddadinga
Blacksmiths produce iron implements/কামার
Washermen,/ধ াপা
Hairdressers, /নানপত
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Goldsmiths,/ধসানারু
 Bell-metal craftsmen,/কাাঁসারু
Conch-shell craftsmen, /র্াাঁখারু
Sweet makers, /ময়রা
Cobblers, /চমশকার
Thatchers, and /ঘরানম
Fishermen/ধজলল
Bamboo, cane, timber, jute and spongewood
 Shika or hanging string bags
village woman makes ornamental rice cakes
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2. মানসজাত/ FORMALISED:

Oral literature as well as folk art is regarded as part of the

formalised stream of folk culture.
 Folk Literature
 Folk Songs
 Folk Ballads
 Folk Tales
 Folk Drama
 Rhymes
 MANTRAS
 Riddles
 Proverbs
 Anecdotes
 Folk art
 Quilt embroidery

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FOLK LITERATURE:
Folk Literature is created by preliterate communities and passed down
orally from one generation to another. Though folk literature of one
region may have similarities with that of another region, it tends to
flourish in a certain geographical region. Although composed by
individuals, folk literature, by the nature of its composition and
preservation, becomes a collective product and assumes the traditions,
emotions, thoughts and values of the community. Because folk literature
is oral, it tends to rely on some mnemonic devices and patterns of
language and style. Nevertheless, it is replete with artistic beauty, wit
and joy.

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TYPES OF FOLK LITERATURE:

i. Folk songs/ধলাকসনিত:
ii. Ballads/ গীনতকা
iii. Folk Tales/ধলাক কানিনী
iv. Folk Drama/ ধলাকনাট্য
v. Rhymes/ ছড়া
vi. Incantations/ মন্ত্র
vii. Riddles/ াাঁ া
viii. Proverbs/ প্রবাদ

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 FOLK SONGS
Folk Songs- Farmers, cowherds, boatmen, fakirs, ascetics and professional
snake charmers-jari, sari, bhatiyali, bhawaiya, murshidi, marfati, baul, gambhira,
kirtan, ghatu, jhumur, bolan, alkap, leto, gajan, barongasi, dhamali, patua,
sapude and khemta
The BARAMASI (song of twelve months) describes the joys and sorrows of village
women through the twelve months of the Bangla year. The lives of boatmen
and the world of rudders, rivers, boats, sails, waves, banks inspire the long-
drawn BHATIYALI (song of the river), while the vast expanses of the land, the
distant horizon, the sun and clouds, tiring afternoons and days inform the
BHAWAIYA (song of the land). Folk songs are also inspired by the search for the
perfect being and communal harmony as in BAUL songs. They are also inspired
by the desire to have a happier, more harmonious conjugal life giving rise to
the vratagan (song of vows) that accompany vrata puja (vow-taking). Muslim
culture added JARIGAN (the song of sorrow, from zari, Persian for sorrow), which
describes the sorrows and sufferings associated with MUHARRAM. Other folk
songs include the sari, jhumur, ghatu, MURSHIDI and GAMBHIRA.
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CONTINUE…
Folk Ballads- Gitika form of oral narrative poetry, which, like
western ballads, tell a single event or a dramatic story, through
dialogue. However, GITIKA tend to be longer than western ballads.
Typed characters tend to predominate in gitika. Characters are
generally not named, but referred to as prince, son of the vizier,
princess, fairy princess, daemon, sorceress, merchant, gardener,
ascetic, pir and fakir etc. They are all inhabitants of some kingdom on
earth, but without any geographical specificity.
Folk Tales- Folk tales stories that are handed down orally from one
generation to another. They are in prose and can be simple or
complex, the former being shorter, the latter longer.

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CONTINUE…
Based on subject, meaning and form, folk tales may be divided into
12 classes: fairy tales, mythical tales, religious tales, adventure stories,
heroic stories, sage tales, historical tales, legends, animal stories,
fables, comic stories and exempla. Bangla folk tales depict human life
and society. Early marriage, polygamy, dowry, the doctrine of re-
birth, hatred between co-wives, the stepmother's envy, repression by
the powerful, greed, sufferings of the weak and the poor, uneven
distribution of wealth, religious and racial discrimination, aristocracy,
conjugal love, fraternity, respect for gurus and preceptors, hospitality,
alms and meditation etc.

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CONTINUE…
Folk Drama- Folk drama applies to a variety of performances
related to DANCE, song, MUSIC, and acting for entertainment or
educational purposes. Some examples of folk drama are bhasan,
JATRA, PALA GAN, ghatu, gambhira, alkap, kavigan, puppetry, etc.
While some folk dramas emphasise songs, others stress dancing or
acting.
Rhymes- Rhymes (Chhada) can be for all ages and provide
entertainment as well as education. Based on their subjects, rhymes
may be classified into the following groups: nursery rhymes, play
rhymes, social rhymes, historical rhymes, satirical rhymes, occupational
rhymes, educational rhymes, rhymes for rituals, and magical rhymes.
MANTRAS- Some mantras are chanted to bring misfortune to others.
For example, a mantra is recited to prevent someone from making
cakes: aola chal baker pak/ yeman pitha teman thak (Foul rice and bad
cooking/ Let the cake remain as it is).
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CONTINUE…
Riddles: Riddles short compositions that pose problems to be solved.
At least two persons are required to play the game of riddles. One
asks the question while the other finds the answer. A very common
riddle is sagarete janma tar lokalaye bas/ maye chhunle putra mare eki
sarbanash (Born out of sea water, it resides in human habitat; it dies
when the mother touches her son); the key to the riddle is 'salt'. In the
riddle, the words 'sea', 'human habitat', 'mother' and 'son' are used as
metaphors. Salt is made from seawater, but it melts as soon as it
touches water.

Proverbs: Proverbs are the shortest possible compositions of folk

literature. They span from pithy sentences to rhymed couplets. But
however short, they are composed on the basis of human experience,
pragmatic consideration, and wisdom. Some popular proverbs are
anek sannyasite gajan nasta (Too many cooks spoil the broth); chor
palale buddhi bade (One becomes wise after the theft); jor yar muluk
tar (He who is mighty rules the land, or, might is right).
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Anecdotes
Folk art/ চিত্রকলা
-ALPANA,/আলপনা- floors, pillars, walls, winnowing platters and
baskets-both Hindu and Muslim weddings as well as at cultural
functions and at public places on national days
- POTTERY painting,
-wall painting,
- body painting
Quilt embroidery/নকনর্ কাথা-stitchcraft- সূ নচনর্ল্প- bed sheets, winter
covers and pillow covers, these quilts

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3. অনু ষ্ঠাচনক/ FUNCTIONAL AND
প্রদর্শ ন মূ লক/ PERFORMING:
Performing arts include presented through singing, dancing and play-
acting.

oJatra /যাত্রা- Jatras, generally based on myth, history, and folk tale,
are a blend of melodrama with song and dance.
oDance/ললাকনৃ তয-BAUL, GAMBHIRA etc- Jari dance, sari dance, lathi (stick)
dance, khemta dance and ghatu dance are part of jari songs, sari
songs, stick plays, khemta songs and ghatu songs respectively.
oগীতঃMEYELI GIT, saheli git and hudma git- Holi git, gazi git, magan git,
wedding songs, hudma git-gayen, bayati and gidal

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CONTINUE…
-Farming has various rites beginning with the first tilling of the soil and
ending with the harvesting of crops. Some are pre-harvest rites and
others are post-harvest. Among the pre-harvest rites are megharani,
hudma deya and ben biya (wedding of frogs) for rains and
ksetbandhan, kaktaruya and gasvi for protecting the crops. Post-
harvest ceremonies include laksmir chhad, NAVANNA and magan. There
are also rites particular to only Hindu women such as TUSU, BHADU,
karam and basudhara.

oFolk Games-Ha-do-do, BALI KHELA, BOAT RACE, bauchhi, dariyabandha,

gollachhut, nunta, chikka, dangguli, solaghunti, mogal-pathan,
ekkadokka, baurani, kadikhela, ghuntikhela, kanamachhi, KITE flying,
pigeon flying, cockfight and bullfight.
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oFestivals-
Hindu-Laksmi, Manasa, SHITALA, Sasthi, OLADEVI, Banadurga, Daksinray,
Satyanarayan and Panchu Thakur
Muslim- worship pirs and saints-Satyapir, Gazipir, Manikpir, Madarpir,
Khowaz Khizir, Ghorapir, Banabibi, Olabibi and Hawabibi.
oFolk Beliefs-that Satyanarayan and Satyapir and Banadurga and
Banabibi
oFairs- RATHYATRA fairs, MUHARRAM fairs. Baishakhi fair
oFloat Lamps- DEWALI, Mmangalghat and mangal pradip

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