Lal Kach (Red Glass) Festival Bangladesh

DHAKA, BANGLADESH - APRIL 13 : Hindu devotees dance as they take part in a festival called Lal Kach (Red Glass) during the last day of the Bangla month in Munshigonj, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 13, 2018. The festival is well known for the local community for more than hundred years. The Hindu youth and men paint themselves with red color and attend a procession holding swords as they show power against evil and welcome the Bengali New Year 1425 on 14 April 2018. As the month of Chaitra, the last in the Bangla year, draws to an end, the Hindu community comes together in a festival dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The programme is locally known as “Lal Kach” (red glass). The central idea behind this programme is for a group of soldiers led by Shiva to appear on earth with a mission: ward off the forces of evil. These soldiers, glowing in the divine light of Shiva, march towards nearby temples. It is all part of a very long tradition going back hundreds of years. The Hindus, especially the young, paint themselves in red, take up swords, bring out processions and dance.