Pohela Boishakh is a celebration of Bengali culture and traditions, and is an important part of Bengali identity. (Image: shutterstock)
Pohela Boishakh 2023: Bengali New Year is a time for Bengalis to come together, celebrate the new year and pray for prosperity and happiness in the year ahead
Pohela Vaishakh 2023: The Bengali New Year, also known as Pohela Boishakh, is celebrated on the first day of the Bengali calendar, which usually falls on 14 or 15 April in the Gregorian calendar. It is an important festival for Bengalis in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. On this auspicious occasion, fairs are organized in cities where people meet and greet each other by saying “Shubho Nobobarsho”, which translates to Happy New Year.
Bengali New Year is a time for Bengalis to come together, celebrate the new year and pray for prosperity and happiness in the coming year. It is a celebration of Bengali culture and traditions, and is an important part of Bengali identity.
Pohela Vaishakh: History
The tradition of celebrating the festival dates back to the Mughal period. Folklore tells that the occasion came into being in West Bengal during the time-period of Emperor Akbar trying to come up with a fixed day every year on which tax on crops could be collected.
It is believed that the royal astronomer Fathullah Shirazi was asked by Akbar to create a new calendar that combined the lunar Islamic calendar and the solar Hindu calendar already in use. Shirazi created a new harvest calendar – Fasholi Shan and this is considered to be the advent of the Bengali calendar. The Bengali Hindu community living in rural Bengal credits Emperor Vikramaditya for the creation of the Bengali calendar.
Pohela Vaishakh 2023: Significance
On this day, many shops and businesses invite regular customers and give them some token of appreciation as the festival also marks the beginning of a financial cycle. Being an auspicious day, some stores also start a new book to maintain customer records. On this day, people pray to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi for prosperous business.
Pohela Vaishakh 2023: Rituals and Celebrations
- cleaning and decorating
In the days preceding Pohela Boishakh, people clean their houses and decorate them with colorful rangolis and alpana. - wear new clothes
It is traditional to wear new clothes on Pohela Boishakh, which symbolizes a new beginning and fresh start. - to pray
Many people visit temples or perform puja at home to seek blessings for the coming year. - Cultural programme
In both Bangladesh and West Bengal, Pohela Boishakh is celebrated with cultural events, including folk dances, music and performances. - Eat
Traditional Bengali dishes are an important part of Pohela Boishakh celebrations. Panta bhat (fermented rice), ilish maach (hilsa fish), chholar dal (chickpea chickpea), and mishti doi (sweet curd) are some of the popular dishes served during the festival. - Fairs and Parades
In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh is celebrated with large fairs and parades. People come out in large numbers to enjoy the festivities, which include music, dancing and food.
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