Bengali New Year or Phela Boishakh occurring on the14th or 15th April, is the first day of the Bengali Calender, celebrated in both Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, and in Bengali communities in the other Indian states,including Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand and Orissa.The traditional greeting for Bengali New Year is "Shubho Noboborsho" .
The Bengali New Year begins at dawn, and the day is marked with singing, processions, and fairs. Traditionally, businesses start this day with a new ledger, clearing out the old.
People of Bangladesh enjoy National holiday on Pohela Boishakh. all over the country people can enjoy Fairs and festivals. Here singers sing traditional songs welcoming the New Year. Food vendors sell conventional foods and artisans sell traditional handicrafts. People also enjoy traditional jatra plays.Village dwellers of Bangladesh traditionally clean their housed and people usually dress new clothes up. Like other festivals of the region, the day is also marked by visiting relatives, friends and neighbors. People prepare special dishes for their guests.
The rural festivities have now evolved to become vast events in the cities, especially the capital Dhaka.In Dhaka and other large cities, the festivals begin with people gathering under a big tree.People also find any bank of a lake or river to witness the sunrise. Artists present songs to welcome the new year, particularly with Rabindranath Tagore's well known song " Esho, he Boishakh".People from all spheres of life wear traditional Bengali dresses. Women are used to wearing traditional saris with their hair all bedecked in flowers. Likewise, men prefer to wear traditional Panjabis. A huge part of the festivities in Dhaka is a vivid procession organized by the students and teachers of Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka.
In Kolkata, the entire month of Boishakh is considered to be an auspicious time for marriages. These days people wear new clothes and go about socialising. Choitro, the last month of the previous year, is the month of hectic activities and frantic purchases.
Pohela Boishakh is the day for cultural programmes. Prayers are offered for the well-being and prosperity of the family. Young ladies clad in white saris with red borders and men clad in dhuti andkurta take part in the Probhat Pheri processions early in the morning to welcome the first day of the year. This day being auspicious, new businesses and new ventures are started. The Mahuratis performed, marking the beginning of new ventures.
Pohela Boishakh is the beginning of all business activities in Bengal. The Bengali Hindu traders purchase new accounting book. The accounting in the halkhata begins only after offering puja. Mantras are chanted and shostik ("Hindu swastika") are drawn on the accounting book by the priests. Long queues of devotees are seen in front of the Kalighat temple from late night. Devotees offer puja to receive the blessings of the almighty.
Bengali New Year is also celebrated with great enthusiasm in Australia,Sweden,U.K.In Australia, the Bangla new year is celebrated in various cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra through Boishakhi Melas (fairs) where people gather to celebrate the culture Bengalis through dances, fashion shows, stalls of art, music, clothing, food etc.This Bengali community in the United Kingdom celebrate the Bengali new year with a street festival in London. It is the largest Asian festival in Europe and the largest Bengali festival outside of Bangladesh and Indian state of West Bengal.
[Credit : Wiki]
Edited by .Tanya. - 12 years ago
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