Pohela Boishakh is the first day of Boishakh, the first month of Bangla year. It marks the advent of the Bangla New Year. Pohela Boishakh is celebrated in both Bangladesh and in Bengali communities across the world. Outside Bangladesh, the day is observed mainly in the Indian state of West Bengal, and in Bengali communities in the other Indian states, including Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand and Odisha.
In Bengali, Pohela stands for first and Boishakh is the first month of Bengali calendar. Hence, Pohela Boishakh is the first day of Boishakh. Pohela Boishakh occurs on 14th April. Pahela Baishakh celebration has become an integral part of the Bengali cultural heritage and tradition. It culminates into a day of joy and collective celebrations. In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh, or the first day of the New Year, is a national holiday.
Celebration of the Bangla New Year begins at dawn and the day is marked with singing, processions, and fairs. To Bengalis, the new year is a new opening, a new anticipation, filled with delight, happiness and wealth. The day is celebrated with much pomp and fanfare.
The entire Bangladesh gets into a festive mood as it celebrates the New Year. Fairs and festivals are held all over the country, where singers sing traditional songs welcoming the new year. Food vendors sell traditional foods and artisans sell traditional handicrafts.
People from all walks of life wear traditional Bengali attire. Women get dressed in traditional saris with their hair all bedecked in flowers while men wear traditional Panjabis. A huge part of the festivities in Dhaka is a colorful procession - Mangal Shobha Jatra - organized by the students and teachers of Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. Tens of thousands of people wearing masks and traditional dresses join the colorful procession to welcome the new year with good spirits.
In Bengali, Pohela stands for first and Boishakh is the first month of Bengali calendar. Hence, Pohela Boishakh is the first day of Boishakh. Pohela Boishakh occurs on 14th April. Pahela Baishakh celebration has become an integral part of the Bengali cultural heritage and tradition. It culminates into a day of joy and collective celebrations. In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh, or the first day of the New Year, is a national holiday.
Celebration of the Bangla New Year begins at dawn and the day is marked with singing, processions, and fairs. To Bengalis, the new year is a new opening, a new anticipation, filled with delight, happiness and wealth. The day is celebrated with much pomp and fanfare.
The entire Bangladesh gets into a festive mood as it celebrates the New Year. Fairs and festivals are held all over the country, where singers sing traditional songs welcoming the new year. Food vendors sell traditional foods and artisans sell traditional handicrafts.
People from all walks of life wear traditional Bengali attire. Women get dressed in traditional saris with their hair all bedecked in flowers while men wear traditional Panjabis. A huge part of the festivities in Dhaka is a colorful procession - Mangal Shobha Jatra - organized by the students and teachers of Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. Tens of thousands of people wearing masks and traditional dresses join the colorful procession to welcome the new year with good spirits.
