Pohela Boishakh 2024: How do people ring in Bengali New Year?

Pohela Boishakh or Poila Baisakh is a special festival for the Bengali community, celebrated on the first day of Baishakh, the first month of the Bengali solar calendar.

This festival is celebrated with much pomp in West Bengal and Bangladesh to commence the Bengali New Year or Nobo Borso, and is a national holiday in the latter, the Hindustan Times reported.

It coincides with other regional festivals in India like Baisakhi in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Bihu in Assam.

Where did Pohela Boishakh originate from?

Pohela Boishakh, which is being observed today (April 14) this year, is believed to have originated during the Mughal rule when taxes were collected using the Islamic Hijri calendar, which did not align with solar agricultural cycles.

Bengalis introduced this festival, and the Bengali calendar came to be known as the Bangabda.

The Bengali calendar begins with Boishakh or Baisakh and as it coincides with the harvest season, the name of Bengali New Year is Pohela Boishakh.

How do people celebrate?

People celebrate this festival by buying new clothes and preparing special delicacies at home. They also decorate their homes with traditional designs called "alpona" and visit fairs.

People, on this day, greet each other saying "Shubho Nobo Borsho", translating to "Happy New Year".

Pohela Boishakh is a significant day for commerce as traders observe the beginning of the new accounting year by opening new account books called Haal Khaata.