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Magura's festive 150-year-old Bororiar mela
BORORIAR mela is the most ancient festivity of Magura district, held at Bororia village in Mohammadpur upazila, located about 30 kms off from the district headquarters. This fair is one of the prime festivals of heritage of Magura people, but not confined to Magura alone. In course of time, this fair has turned into an ideal occasion to exhibit products of the adjoining districts and even of Chittagong.
Every year the fair is organised on Poush 28, of the Bengali calendar. However, this year it was shifted to Falgun 12 of the Bengali year for unavoidable circumstances, said the organisers.
In observance of this fair, Bororiar and other adjoining villages wore a festive mood. Housewives and females of most of the houses in the villages became busy in making various cakes and other delicacies to entertain
guests.
The visitors to the fair were drawn by a variety of wooden furniture, toys, spades, hoes, knives, scissors, attractively designed saris, lungis made by local weavers and handlooms. Traders even came from Chittagong to sell ornaments made of sea-born snails.
Among the people who sold their wares at the mela was Abul Kalam, 60, a toy seller from Narail district. "I have been selling goods in this fair for the last 30 years," said Kalam. In a similar vein, furniture trader Zahir Sheikh from Jessore said, "Every year I wait for this fair as it is a good centre to sell my goods."
Moreover, for those with a sweet tooth, there was a huge variety of delicious sweetmeats such as Roso malai, Para Sandesh, Khamarpara doi and Khirer sandesh.
The special attractions of Bororiar were horse race, Lathikhela (mock fights with
sticks), Jatrapala (folk play) and Jhapan khela ( a risky game by charming huge snakes).
The fair attracted a large turnout of visitors, even though there has been a decline in the pomp and colour of the one and a half century old mela due to the deterioration of the villagers' economical condition.
As in prior years, people from different parts of the country assembled at their relatives' house in Bororiar and the adjoining villages on the occasion of this traditional fair.
Despite the invasion of the foreign culture, particularly in the cities, the mela continues to be an attraction in the country. According to some visitors to the mela, even a weeping baby stops crying when a guardian promises sweetmeats and a joy ride on the merry-go-round at the mela.
Although historic records of this fair are not available, a
story goes that Sanu Sardar of Bororia village initiated it over 150 years ago and till today this fair is one of the prime festivals of the Magura people. The fair is arranged for two days only but continues for about one week.
Story & Photo: HOSSAIN SERAJ