Haat bazaar

Haat Bazaar (Bengali: হাটবাজার) is an open-air market[1] that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns mainly in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India.

[2] Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular basis, usually once, twice or thrice a week, and in some places once every fortnight.

At times, haat bazaars are organized in a different manner, to support or promote trading by and with rural people.

[3][4] In addition to providing trading opportunities, haat bazaars serve as meeting places, rural settlements come up around the haats which gradually grow into towns.

Panchami, Nawamidanda, and Saptami are towns named after the fortnightly haats, according to the Hindu lunar calendar.