October 19 - The indigenous people of Buddhist faith in Bandarban will start to celebrate the three-day Probarana Purnima, the second largest festival in the religion, today.
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Locally called Wagai Poye, it is one of the greatest religious festivals in Chittagong Hill Tracts, which is populated by a wide range of ethnic communities.
Plain land Buddhists, however, observed the holy day yesterday.
The occasion marks the conclusion of a three-month seclusion of Buddhist monks inside their monasteries for self-edification and atonement for mankind, and will be followed by the month long Kathin Chibar Dan, when devotees will present monks with robes.
In the three-day celebration, the indigenous Buddhists will offer Pradeep (candle) Puja, organise traditional cultural programmes, perform rituals, hold cake festival, pull chariots in the district town, and release paper lanterns (Fanush) in the evening.
Every year many tourists from home and abroad gather in Bandarban to enjoy the traditional festival celebrated by the district’s indigenous people.