Bangladeshi Culture & Society

Hierarchy

 Bangladesh is a society of perfect hierarchy. People are always respected because of age and position. Older people are naturally considered as wise and they are granted respect. Bangladeshis expect that the senior most male, by age or position should make decisions which are in the best interest of any group. This is also accepted in businesses, the majority of which are family owned.

 Religion

The majority of Bangladeshi people are Muslim. The second majority is Hindus. There is a strong brotherhood among the two communities. Bangladeshis love to identify with folk traditions of Bengali culture. This includes belief in the powers of fakirs (Muslim holy men who are faith healers), Ojhaa (shamins having magical healing powers), and Bauls (religious mendicants and wandering singers and musicians). There remains a strong tradition regarding music, dance, and literature that includes classical devotional music of Hindu and Muslim music.

Festivals

Muslim observes many religious festivals in Bangaldesh. These include two Eids (one after Ramadan and another after the Hajj), Milad un-Nabi (birth date of the Prophet Hazrath Muhammad), Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) and Shab-e-Barat (the night of the fortune). Hindu observes festivals like Durga Puja and Kali Puja (worshipping of Goddess Durga and Kali). On the whole, the entire community participates in each other's religious functions.


Meeting & Greeting

Greetings normally take place between members of the similar sex. The hand shake is common while meeting with a stranger or a gentleman. Women will only be met within business contexts. It is the best to wait to see if a hand is extended for a hand shake before doing so. The traditional greeting for Muslims is “Assalamu alaikum” to which the response is “wa alaikum assalam rokmot ullah hi borkotu”. Naming conventions are based on the hierarchical nature of Bangladeshi culture. Bangladeshis always attach a suffix to a person's name to convey respect and closeness between the two people. In general, age determines how people will be addressed. If people are of same age, they use first names for addressing. If the person to be addressed is older than the addresser, the person is called by his first name with a suffix that indicates the family relationship.

Gift Giving Etiquette

Gifts are generally offered among family members at religious holidays especially after Ramadan and Hajj. In cities it is common to offer gifts on birthdays. Gifts should be generally reciprocated and it will be considered rude to offer gift that is difficult to reciprocate.

Some ordinary gift giving etiquette norms include:  When visiting a Bangladeshi’s home, it is very common to bring pastries, sweets or   good quality biscuits and chocolates. If you bring flowers avoid frangipanis because they are used during funerals. White flowers signify mourning. Never offer alcohol or any product containing non-halal meat to Muslims. Never offer money in cash. It is not considered good to open gifts in front of the giver. Gifts are given with two hands.

Dining Etiquette

While meeting people for dinner some basic rules on etiquette should be maintained. If invited to a meal it is impolite to flatly turn down the invitation. One should use indirect language to suggest that it may not be possible by using "I will try." Meals both inside and outside the house will usually be with the same sex. All people eat with their hands. It is very usual everyone shares food from a common dish. Ensure you wash your hands before eating. Guests are normally served first. Then the process of serving continues from the oldest to the youngest. Never start eating until the oldest person at the table begins. It is also customary to begin eating together. So, wait until everyone receives the dishes. You will constantly be insisted to take more food. Saying with smile "I'm full" will be taken as a polite negation. The left hand is considered unclean, so eat, pass dishes or drink only with the right hand. Always use your right hand for doing anything. Never offer anything with your left hand; it’s seriously rude and impolite