Why people celebrate Bengali New Year?
Bangladesh,West Bengal and the Bengali communities in Assam and Tripura.This day is declared as a public holiday.People celebrate this day
every year.It is considered as a tradition in the above mentioned countries.There is a history behind the celebration of Bengali new year or
Pohela Boishakh.
The celebration of Pohela Boishakh started from Akbar's reign.For the regulation of the tax collection, king Akbar, the Mughal Emperor, ordered
a reform of the calendar.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 "Bangbda" or Bengali year.
Picture: Celebration of Bengali New Year
History and Information
King Akbar ordered that all the dues had to be settled on the last of Chaitra.The next day(The first day of the new year), the landlords used to entertain their tenants with sweets.The shopkeeper used to open new Halkhata on that day.The traders and businessmen also used to close their old account books.It was the habit of traders to invite their customers to share sweets and renew their business relationship with them.These were the main things of Pohela Boishakh.
On that day, everything was washed and cleaned.People used to bath early in the morning and wear fine clothes and go to visit many places to celebrate the day.It was the tradition of Devotees to offer special puja on that day.They used to do that to receive the blessing of the almighty.The people of the Hindu society believed that if they perform special puja, they would be able to spend the whole year very nicely and they would not face any loss or danger in that year.These practices are also seen in the modern society.
The celebration of Pohela Boishakh in today's society is not different from the king Akbar's period.The world is now changed a lot but people celebrate the first day of Bengali new year in the same manner.People wear fine clothes in this day.They usually wear traditional Bengali dresses to celebrate the day.Young women wear white sarees with red borders and adorn themselves with bangles,flowers and tips.Men wear white pyjamas or dhoti and kurta.Most of the people eat traditional food on this day like- Panta Bhat(Cooked rice with water),fried hilsha fish,green chillies and onion.Boishakhi fairs are organised in many parts of the country.Traditional handicrafts,toys,many kinds of food and sweets are sold in these fairs.People in cheerful mood visit Boishakhi Mela and buy traditional things.On that day,the bengali people wants to stay in their own culture.They do not like to mix with other culture.This day is an auspicious day to many people.There are some people who takes day as the starting point of their business.In Kolkata,people think that this day is an auspicious time for marriage.New Year's festivities are closely linked with rural life in Bengal but nowadays,people in towns also celebrate the day.
In Dhaka,large numbers of people gather early in the morning under the Banyan tree at Ramna park.Many kinds of cultural programmes take place at Ramna Batamul.Newspapers bring out special supplements to mark the day.There are also special programmes on radio and television.The historical importance of Pohela Boishakh in the Bangladeshi context may be dated from the observance of the day by Chhayanat in 1965. In an attempt to suppress Bengali culture, the Pakistani Government had banned poems written by Rabindranath Tagore, the most famous poet and writer in Bengali literature. Protesting this move, Chhayanat opened their Pohela Boishakh celebrations at Ramna Park with Tagore's song welcoming the month. The day continued to be celebrated in East Pakistan as a symbol of Bengali culture. After 1972 it became a national festival, a symbol of the Bangladesh nationalist movement and an integral part of the people's cultural heritage.
The people of Chittagong Hill tracts also use to celebrate Pohela Boishakh.The three different ethnic minority groups join together to celebrate the day.These groups are- Boisuk of Tripura people,Sangrai of Marma people and Biju of Chakma people.This day is also a public holiday in Chittagong Hill Tracts.They celebrate the day in a festive manner.The Marma people organize water festival in this day.
Look at the pictures below:
Pictures: The food items of Pohela Boishakh
This festival is also celebrated in England.It is celebrated on the road and is marked as the largest Asian festival of Europe.In Australia,the Pohela Boishakh is celebrated in various cities such as Sydney,Melbourne,Canberra.People in these cities celebrate the Bengali culture by organising programs.The items of these programs are songs,dances,fashion shows,music,clothing,food etc.The largest celebration of Bengali new year in Australia is the Sydney Boishakhi Mela.People visit this fair every year.
So,celebration of Pohela Boishakh started from Akbar's reign.People in the modern society still follow this tradition.This day is the first day of Bengali year but people who are not Bengali also celebrate the day.
