Shirni

Shirni sweetmeat or food made of rice or wheat flour dressed in milk, banana and sugar. The word is of Persian origin and is often popularly called Shinni. With expectations for boons and blessings from the Almighty, Muslims customarily distribute shirni among people on various Islamic festivals. Shirni is offered at places such as mosques, MADRASAHs, KHANQAHs, DARGAHs, and MAZARs to please Allah and get His protection in situations such as illness or hardship and mishaps. Shirni is sometimes offered as a wish (manat) in the hope the fulfilment of a desire.
Shirni was not practised by Muslims in the early days of Islam. It became a custom after being introduced by PIRs. It is a popular belief that pirs have special spiritual power and therefore, their khanqahs are to be looked at as resorts for peace in the world. People also offer shirni at khanqahs as a token of respect for spiritual powers. The custom gradually spread and with passage of time, Hindus, Buddhists and, at some places, Muslims began venerating pirs, and with that, shirni became a religious rite.

BeraUtsav/RaftFestival

Raft Festival a folk festival during which a raft is floated. In areas with rivers, canals and other water bodies, people float banana rafts or bhelas in the name of Khowaj Khizir, a water pir, to ward off ills from water. The festival, which is celebrated every year on the last Thursday of Bhadra, is observed at social or family levels or at the initiative of fakirs. At times of crises, the observance can be organised at any time of the year.
Khowaj Khizir was a Semitic water god who entered Bangladesh in the 13th century with the Turkish rulers. In due course Khowaj Khizir found a durable place in the hearts of the people here. The nawabs and nayeb-nazims of MURSHIDABAD and DHAKA were among his devotees. Mukarram Khan, Sirajuddowla and Mir Qasim used to float rafts with great fanfare on the BURIGANGA in Dhaka and the Bhagirathi in Murshidabad on the last Thursday of Bhadra.
Raft festivals or verabhasan are not dedicated to Khowaz Khizir alone. At Munshiganj, for example, Hindu women dedicate the festival to the goddess Ganga. The celebration at Panditbari in Sulakia, KISHOREGANJ, is named the 'Vera festival of Zinda pir and Paran Fakir'. On other occasions, he is honoured along with others. At Tamaltala in Kishoreganj, for example, eight sages and holy men are honoured, the first being Mahaguru and the second Khowaj Khizir.
The celebrations also unite the Muslim saint and the Hindu goddess. The banana plants needed to make a raft are collected by a fasting priest who goes to the plantation with his disciples after seeking the owner's permission. To the plants he says, 'We wish to take seven plants to make a raft for Mother Ganga and Khowaj Khizir'. Each plant is felled with a single stroke and then the raft is made. One vera bhasan song describes the marriage between Khowaj Khizir and Ganga.

PirSahitya

Gazi Kalu-Champavati pir sahitya or saint literature, written in the style of PANCHALI, narrating the adventures of Gazi Pir in the tiger-infested forests of south Bengal and the story of his marriage to Champavati.
The first reference to Gazi Pir as a rival of Daksin Ray, the god of tigers, appears in Krishnaram Das' poetic narrative, RAYMANGAL (1684), which describes their rivalry and subsequent friendship. At one time both used to be worshipped.
Sheikh Khoda Baksh composed Gazi Kalu-Champavati, based on the story of Raymangal, in 1798-99. The poem narrates Gazi Kalu's journey across the country in the guise of a fakir, his battle with a certain Hindu king, the king's defeat and his conversion to ISLAM. After Gazi Kalu mitigates the sufferings of the king's subjects, he marches on Brahmannagar. In the ensuing battle, the king of Brahmannagar is defeated and accepts Islam. Gazi Kalu marries the king's daughter, Champavati, and returns home. The poem also contains other related stories. In addition to human beings, the characters include gods, demons, supernatural spirits, fairies, ghosts, evil spirits, and animals. The action takes place on earth as well as in heaven and hell. Gazi Kalu is depicted as victorious because he has been blessed by Allah, Khwaja Khizir and the goddess Ganga. The poem mentions the popular belief that offerings to Gazi Pir could ensure safety from tigers.
Gazi Kalu-Champavati greatly influenced later poets such as Syed Halu Mir, Abdur Rahim, and Abdul Gafur who composed similar poems. Sheikh Khoda Baksh's poem, Champavati Kainyar Palagan or Gazi Saheber Git, was popular in many parts of the country during the 19th and 20th centuries when it revived Muslim sentiments of pride in the past glory of Islam.