Once upon a time, in all seven upazilas of Gaibandha district, the arrival of the winter months of Poush and Magh meant waking up to a familiar call in the early morning—
“Do you want date palm sap… sweet sap!”
This call was enough to wake villagers from their sleep. In the 1990s, date palm sap was an inseparable part of winter mornings. Cutting through the foggy dawn, sap collectors carried fresh sap from house to house, hanging clay pots from bamboo poles.
A glass of sap cost only one taka. People did not stop at one or two glasses—many drank three or four glasses at a time. Besides drinking, many families bought three to four kilograms of sap to make kheer and payesh.
The sweet aroma of date palm sap filled the surroundings. From this sap, people prepared pithas, payesh, and kheer—the taste of which still lingers in the memories of many. Dishes made from date palm sap were sent to grandparents’ homes and in-laws’ houses. Such arrangements were a major source of joy in rural life during winter mornings.
In particular, the morning trade of date palm sap was vibrant in Nachni Ghogeya, Ramdev, Hasanpur of Bamandanga, and Jamalhat in Sundarganj upazila. Moreover, areas such as Palanpara of Dhaperhat, Buzruk Ruhia, Indrapara of Lakshmipur, Pacha Bazar, Bhatgram, and Lenga Bazar once witnessed a great rush of people eager to drink fresh date palm sap in the mornings.
Veteran date palm sap seller Toja Mia of Jamalhat said that he has now left this profession. “Date palm trees are no longer available like before. Many people have given up this occupation. I have also grown old,” he said. “But when memories come back, my heart still fills with joy. Once, I enjoyed good days selling sap. Many people cooked pitha and payesh with my sap and fed me. I still remember those moments.”
With the passage of time, the decline of date palm trees, changes in profession, and the touch of modernity, this traditional practice of date palm sap in the Gaibandha region is now heading toward extinction. It is rarely seen today, and that once-familiar call is hardly heard anymore.
Yet, in the pages of memory, the winter dawn, dense fog, and the sweet taste of date palm sap remain alive—once making the winters of Gaibandha warmer and far more joyful.
