Nabanna: the festival of new rice
When the new rice arrives in Agrahayan, Bengal celebrates Nabanna. Here is a look at this festival of food, fairs and songs.
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What is Nabanna
Nabanna means new rice, the first meal from a new harvest. It is a Bengali harvest festival that Wikipedia calls a festival of food, when many local Bengali dishes such as pitha are cooked. (Source: Wikipedia, Nabanna)
In Dhaka it is held on the first day of the Bengali month of Agrahayan. Beyond Bangladesh, it is celebrated in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam's Barak Valley and eastern parts of Jharkhand. (Source: Wikipedia, Nabanna)
💡 We did not find a fetched source printing a 2026 Gregorian date for Nabanna, so we give none. Check the first day of Agrahayan in your own almanac.
Fairs and festivities
- Nabanna fairs, where villagers and locals from both major religions take part
- Pitha-making contests, a seat-and-draw game and a walking competition for senior citizens
- Performances of Baul songs, Chhau dance, Jatra, Tarja and Kobi-gaan
- Exhibitions of rural items like the dhenki and paddy varieties, and handicraft stalls
The food
Nabanna foods listed include pitha, patishapta and payesh (now even a vegetable version). Pitha is typically made of rice flour, though some are made of wheat flour. (Source: Wikipedia, Nabanna)
Pitha is a food akin to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, sweet or savoury. Patishapta is a thin crepe stuffed with jaggery and coconut or kheer, and puli is a dumpling with a coconut or kheer filling, fried or steamed. Pitha is often served with date palm molasses. (Source: Wikipedia, Pitha)
Special pitha is linked with harvest festivals such as Nabanna and the Poush parbon, or Makar Sankranti. In autumn and winter, pitha melas and pitha utshobs are held all over Bangladesh. (Source: Wikipedia, Pitha)
Dhaka's National Nabanna Festival
A Nabanna festival is held in Dhaka every year, organised since 1998 by the Jatiya Nabanna Utshab Udjapan Parshad (National Harvest Festival Committee). It is a day-long festival, and Wikipedia names Shahriar Salam as founder and main planner. (Source: Wikipedia, Nabanna)
💡 To celebrate at home, make payesh from new rice and a pitha or two, and share them with neighbours. If a pitha mela or Nabanna fair is nearby, check the schedule with the organisers.
Questions
- What is Nabanna?
- A Bengali harvest festival centred on eating food from the new crop.
- In which month is Nabanna celebrated?
- In Dhaka it is held on the first day of the Bengali month of Agrahayan.
- What foods are made for Nabanna?
- Pitha, patishapta and payesh.
- Where is Nabanna celebrated?
- In Bangladesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam's Barak Valley and eastern Jharkhand.
- When is Nabanna in 2026?
- We found no 2026 Gregorian date in a fetched source; it falls on the first day of Agrahayan, so check your almanac.
See also
Poush Sankranti 2027Poush greeting cards2027 calendarRash Purnima 2026Kali Puja 2026