Pohela Boishakh

                                       Pohela Boishakh Greeting Cards

                                Celebration            Ritual               Pictures     

Similar to many other variants of the Hindu solar calendar,the Bengali calendar commences in mid-April of the Gregorian year.The first day of the Bengali year therefore coincides with the mid-April new year in Assam, Burma, Cambodia, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Thailand.

For the regulation of the tax collection,King Akbar,the Mughal Emperor,ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi,a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bangla year on the basis of the lunar Hijri and Bangla solar calendars.The new agricultural year was introduced in March 1584,which was dated from Akbar's tenure as a king, in 1556.Later on,the new year became popular by the names 'Bangabda' or Bengali year.

As per the King Akbars directive,all the dues were to be settled on the last day of Chaitra.The next day, that is the first day of the new year,the landlords would entertain their tenants with sweets.The traders and businessmen closed their old account books and on this auspicious day.

The traders invited their customers to share sweets and renew their business relationship with them.Nowdays,this practise is seen in the lobby of jewellers.On this occasion there used to be fairs and other festivities. In due course the occasion became part of domestic and social life, and turned into a day of celebration.

                                                         Celebration

                                                              Rituals

The accounting of the new books ie halkhata begins only after performing puja.Mantras are chanted and 'Hindu swastika' is drawn on the accounting book by the priests. Devotees are seen in front of the Kalighat temple,in long queues, from late night.Devotees offer puja to receive the blessings of the almighty.

On this popular festival,people gather early in the morning ,under a big tree or on the bank of a lake to witness the sunrise.Songs are rendered to welcome the new year.People wear traditional Bengali dresses,young women wear white sarees with red borders and adorn themselves with bangles, flowers, and tips and the men wear white pyjamas or dhoti and kurta.In many places,the people start with the traditional breakfast of panta bhat (cooked rice soaked with water), green chillies, onion, and fried hilsa fish.

In Dhaka. large numbers of people gather early in the morning under the banyan tree at Ramna Park where chhayanat artistes open the day with Tagore's famous song, Eso he Boishakh eso eso (Come O Boishakh, come), welcoming Boishakh. A similar ceremony welcoming the new year is also held at the Institute of Fine Arts, university of dhaka. Students and teachers of the institute take out a colourful procession and parade round the campus. Social and cultural organisations celebrate the day with cultural programmes. Newspapers bring out special supplements. There are also special programmes on radio and television.