Bengali New Year celebrated

By Rachel Lee

Bangladeshi expatriates celebrated Bengali New Year-1424 — the biggest Bengali festival of the year — in Seoul on April 16.

The Embassy of Bangladesh arranged the event that a large number of Bangladeshis, Koreans and other foreigners attended.

Mongol Shovajatra — meaning procession for wellbeing — an intangible cultural heritage declared by UNESCO, was the main attraction, the embassy said.

Some participants were in traditional Bengali attire. Colorful posters, festoons and banners lined the streets that were filled with people singing, dancing and chanting.

“Bemused by a show of Bengali color and festivity, unseen before in Seoul, the Koreans and foreigners along the streets got equally curious,” an embassy spokesperson said.