Bede or Beday is a nomadic ethnic group of Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

. The Bede traditionally live, travel, and earn their living on the river, which has given them the moniker of "Water Gypsy" or "River Gypsy". Bede people are similar to gypsy people. They travel in groups and never stay in one place for more than a couple of months. The majority of the Bedes live on snake related trading, such as snake charming

Snake charming

Snake charming is the practice of pretending to hypnotise a snake by playing an instrument. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand...

, snake catching, snake selling, etc. They also sell lucky heathers

Heathers

Heathers is a 1989 black comedy film starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The film portrays four girls in a trend-setting clique at a fictional Ohio high school...

, herbal medicines, which they claim have magical properties. Bedes' other occupations are in the entertainment services (eg. monkey shows, magic shows) and petty trading.

Some of them beg on the busy streets of big cities like Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

, Chittagong

Chittagong

Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...

, Khulna

Khulna

Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...

. They do not take any kinds of formal education and they do not use medical facilities. Most of them speak Bangla. Most of them are Muslim but also practice Hinduism, shamanism and animism along with Islam. They are related to other South Asian nomadic groups, specially Dom

Dom

- People :* Dom people, an ethnic group in the Middle East* Doms, people of indigenous origin found in the Indian state of West Bengal* Domba or Dom, an ethnic group of India...

.

The Bedes are a marginalised group of the community. About 98 percent Bedes live below the poverty line, and about 95% of Bede children cannot attend schools. The Bedes are not able to vote as they do not have land, nor can they apply for a bank loan or microcredit

Microcredit

Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...

for the same reason.