Ramadan and iftaar menu in Bangladesh

My friend from Pakistan asked about Bangladeshi iftaar menu. I took some pictures of iftaar dishes to post at 'FaceBook' and at the same time I thought of posting something about our cultural or traditional iftaar food at my blog. Iftaar food varies in different countries around the world. There is a cultural or traditional iftaar menu at each region and so does the Bangladesh has.

Bangladeshi towns and villages come alive with lights and decorations on the street, in shops and in the market places as Ramadan is the one of the most celebrated Bangladesh festival of the year which masses of people participate.
Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, the Muslim population is approximately 148.6 million, which is the fourth largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia, Pakistan and India), constituting 90.4% of the total population as of 2010.

Piyazu

In Bangladesh, a wide variety of foods is prepared to break the fast at Maghrib time. Special dishes are prepared during the Fasting of Ramadan.

Some of the common iftar items from Bangladeshi iftaar menu include Piyaju (made of lentils paste, chopped onions, green chilies, like falafel), Beguni (made of thin slices of eggplant dipped in a thin batter of gram flour), Jilapi, Muri ( puffed rice similar to Rice krispies ), yellow lentil grains, usually soaked in water and spiced with onion, garlic, chilli and other iftar items), Halim, dates, samosas, Dal Puri (a type of lentil based savoury pastry), Chola (cooked chickpeas), fish kabab, mughlai paratha (stuffed porota with minced meat and spices), pitha, traditional Bengali sweets and different types of fruits such as watermelon.

Beguni

 Drinks such as Rooh Afza and lemon shorbot are common on iftar tables across the country. People like to have iftar at home with all family members and iftar parties are arranged by mosques sometimes. People also arrange iftaar parties at conventions centers, restaurants or hotels.

Muri Bharta

Summer fruits festival and early years

The summer (May, June and July) is specially treated as fruit festival season in Bangladesh when almost all the major and minor fruits are matured and available. Mangoes,Jackfruit, pineapple, guavas, lichi, berries, palms are the main fruits of summer. Of them the mango is the most popular.
9th June, 2014 Monday 'Summer Fruit Festival' was organized in our school. It was a usual hot day but early year children were excited to see and recognize a wide variety of summer fruits at 'Summer Festival 2014'.

There was arrangement of fruits display along with posters and pictures of these fruits. There was an easel board to practice 'fruit printing' for students. Another place was used to show the drawings of students relating to summer fruits.

Fruits display at a corner

Children were enthusiastic to learn about summer fruits. They also recited rhymes relating to fruits.

Fruit printing with poster colors

Summer fruit pictures drawn by students of KG

Nursery class children saying rhymes

Green deen our earth and islam

Our School is ahead in the whole region by raising awareness and celebrating the events related to environment.

2014: March 1st and 3rd 'Green Deen' events were organised related to 'Earth' topic. There is a strong relation of being muslim and Earth.  Deen in Arabic means religion but can also be translated to path or way. So a green deen is literally an environmentally friendly religion.

Islam is based on the understanding that Allah is One, andeverything comes from Allah – He is the Creator and Sustainer. Everything in the natural world is a sign of Allah’s creation.
Islam seeks for us to establish justice and to maintain the Ea rth’s delicate balance (Mizan)

We are required to honor the trust we have with Allah (amana) and bestewards of the Earth (Khalifah)
Living a Green Deen means knowing that we have undertaken a trust ( Amana ) with our Creator to protect the planet.

Earth Day was established in 1970 to raise awareness about the environment.
In the book, "Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet," Ibrahim Abdul-Matin outlines Islam's teachings about the environment, and encourages American Muslims to become more conscious of what they can do to protect the planet. Author Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says: "Green has become the catch-all word for being environmentally friendly.

Related posts:

** What Islam teaches Muslims about protecting the planet and environment?

** In Islam, every day is Earth Day

A learning and fun nature walk

Today 2nd part of our learning and fun outdoor activity (nature walk) happened. All boys of all play group and nursery students participated in 'nature walk'. It was a very organized walk as young kids enjoyed walking and learning along with their teachers and class mates.

Some parents residing nearby areas were also there to see our 'nature walk' and even the passing elder citizens appreciated the discipline of students.
The people around that lake were excited to see long ques of children with happy faces. Many of them stopped and asked the name of the school and questioned about the purpose of this visit.

Getting ready in the classroom for exciting nature walk

Early years nature walk

Our School is situated at the end of "Dhanmondi Lake" branch. It takes few minutes to reach at the side ways of the lake, though you need to turn towards the back of the school building.

Getting ready at school ground for a nature walk outside the school

Every year, early year class teachers take their students for a walk to that area. Many parents reside around the Dhanmondi area and may be those children also visit nearby places but it is a special occasion for them to visit these same places with their class mates and teachers.

Peeling peanut shells and sharing

Doing some activities such as counting the peanuts etc

Teachers busy with students in groups

Exploring and enjoying nature watch with teachers

Now it's time to go back to school

Students still exploring on sideways whilst going back to school 

Today only girls of Play Group and Nursery all sections went for nature walk and tomorrow all boys will be taking part in this fun and learning outdoor activity.

Why nature walk?
To fulfill the objectives of:------
Exploring the nature that surrounds us in our day to day life.
 • Exploring the nature like flora and fauna and the sunshine and clouds.
 • To find flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes, as well as leaves of different shapes, colours and sizes.
 • To feel the different textures of all the things we found including the bark on the trees.
Listening skills: As we walk we can listen out for different sounds. The most common sounds we hear are birds, cars and buses, dogs barking, people talking, the wind.
 • Weather: Season late winter, dry leaves, winter
 • Safety rules: Follow and listen to the elders. Walk in a line and side of the road.

Main activities:
 • Sitting at ground or sideways to watch the nature. Peel the peanuts (badaam and count how many nuts they find inside it. Two friends will count together (addition) in trays.
• Collecting leaves and discover the shapes, size and texture of these leaves. Strips of papers (wrist band) and sticking leaves on these strips. We will name those strips ‘nature bands’
 • Discuss opposites ie clean/dirty, light/deep green, shadow/light, long/short.
• Relation to Green Deen (Earth): We keep our road, city clean. Dirty water, clean water.
• Flowers (Bangla related) Gaada, Daalia, Gulaab, Chandro Molika. Colours and sizes of the flowers
• Phonics sound: B-Bridge

Art and crafts Planning:
 • Students sat down in class with paper and pencils and  teacher asked them about the things they had seen, heard, touched or smelled whilst on their walk, then they drew them. They had drawings of birds, flowers, trees, clouds, the sun, and the bridge or buildings around the lake. Tomorrow insha Allah I will include those nature pictures in my post.

 Learning outcomes for nature walk:
 • Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.
• Children develop positive dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, enthusiasm and imagination.
 • Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural processed materials.
• Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media (conversation, drawing)
• Learn to develop communication skills and vocabulary relating to their subjects such as English and Bangla.

• Learn number relationships (as they count and do the addition while peeling peanuts)
• Learn to develop imaginary skills as they draw coming back to classroom, what they explored their nature walk.

Alhamdu Lilla we could successfully meet our objectives today and tomorrow our journey is continued with boys group-----------!

Early years Winter stage show

Now it is the late winter season in Bangladesh. Today it was foggy in the morning when 'winter stage show' was started but early year children and teachers enjoyed the whole function. It was a really warming and colorful occasion.
On the rooftop of the school it looked really bright and colorful although the stage was built very simple and on the floor level.

The main attraction of the program was 'Tuna Tuni' props prepared by KG.
Every class or section prepared English or Bangla rhymes related to winter. As Nursery class sung the vegetable song holding big vegetable format placards.
January month was a busy time for teachers as they have to work hard to make the winter Pitha or stage show programs successful.

More pictures of the winter show:

Winter season celebrations and Pitha festival

Winter season comes in Bangladesh region for a very short time. It stays in this region, more or less 2 months. Few weeks earlier we celebrated 'Winter festival' and I am sharing few of the pictures of this festival.

On 30th January, 2014 we arranged 'Pitha festival' at our school.

Few words about Pithas:
Pithas are are a part of food tradition and food culture of Bangladeshi cuisine. For pitha/peetha there is no similar word in English. It is an interesting thing that there is word in English we can translate or refer to this traditional food. We interpret pitha/peetha as a rice cake or pie. But it’s not like the traditional cake or pie what is common in the western world and in their food culture.

Pitha is not part of Bengali's daily menu. Most pithas/peethas are seasonal, specially prepeared in the winter season because of some ingredients which are available only in winter season. And pithas/peethas of the winter season are the most delicious – a special combination with the climate of winter cold.
It was really hard work to search online for pitha pictures or description and at last I stopped at the blog 'We love our Bangladesh' with a nice description and lot of pictures about pithas.
Reference: 'We love our Bangladesh' blog

I am now sharing the pictures of the festival:

Winter foods including traditional Bangla cuisine 'Pithas'

Pitha festival held on January 30th, 2014:

Enthusiast Nursery class watching 'Bhapa pitha making process'

Importance of writing in our lives

Like reading, writing is a very important learning tool.  Writing can be done through a keyboard (keypad at an electronic device such as pc, smart phone) though pen or pencils are writing tools. Now touch pads or smart phones has improved a way of writing with fingers or touch pens but can we get rid of 'writing with pen or pencil' and does 'writing' is still important for us?
There is a vital importance of 'writing'. 

Importance of writing:

Wikipedia says: "Writing helps you express yourself"

 Writing prepares you for school and employment (both of which in most cases require a lot of it).
 Writing is how much of the world communicates. If you don't write, you cut yourself off from a large community (including this one, incidentally).