Are you weeding the internet trying to find out how is Bengali New Year Celebrated? It is the date on which the Bengali’s celebrate the first day of their Bengali Calendar.
The Bengali New Year celebration is commonly known as Poila Baisakh (Bangla poila = first, Baisakh = first month of the Bangla calendar). It is the first day of the Bengali New Year, usually in mid-April each year.
Here we will try to cover how is New Year Celebrated by Bengali’s? What will be the dates for the upcoming years and what is the meaning of the term?
What is the meaning of Poila Boishakh?
Boishakh is the first month of the Bengali calendar, and Poila stands for First.
Thus, Poila Boishakh means the first day of the month of Boishak. This marks the beginning of new year for Bengali’s.
People greet each other saying, Shubho Noboborsho where Naba means New and Barsho mean Year, together with means New Year.
What is the Significance of the Bengali New Year?
This is an important day for Bengali’s, and a new journey will begin this day. It is the first day of the Bengali Calendar.
Because this is a harvest festival, people pray to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi to fill their lives and families with God’s blessings.
On this day, people pray a lot because they believe it will bring happiness, good health, long life, and prosperous life.
Once the prayer is over, it is considered an auspicious day to start a new business or even clear off old debts.
They believe that the beginning of the month is a day that should be properly welcomed, and then the whole year will be a good day.
Poila Boishakh is also celebrated in Punjab as Baisakhi and some other parts of the country like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, etc. On this day, the crops have been harvested, so it is of great significance.
What is the History behind Bengali Calendar?
In the 145th century, the Akbar Emperor was the one who introduced Bengali Calendar, and therefore Poila Boishakh.
In the early years of Mughal, the Islamic calendar was not synchronized with the harvest time. Besides, half of the income depends entirely on agriculture. This leads to tax arrears.
Therefore, Akbar put forward the idea of the Bengal calendar. It promotes the collection of taxes on the spring family harvest. This way the Bengali New Year also exists.
What are the Bengali Rituals associated with the New year?
There are various Bengali rituals associated with the New Year. We have listed 10 such Bengali Rituals and Customs for your reference and understanding;
- In the morning, believers began to watch the rising sun on the first morning because they believed it would be an auspicious day.
- After that, religious processions were held, this gathering procession was called Prabhat Pheris. This is worth seeing!
- This garment is a kind of Garad saree worn by women. These are white saris with bright red borders. They adorn their hair with flowers.
- Women decorate themselves with large gold earrings and heavy jewelry, most of which are gold. They look elegant and are paired with white pearls.
- Men wear traditional kurtas and dhotis. These clothes are mostly white. Applying “Tikka” that is obtained in temples.
- After the procession, men and women sing and dance, listening to various traditional folk songs.
- In addition to this, housewives also prepare a rich breakfast. The meal includes rice, fish, green peppers, onions, and certain desserts.
- Rangoli is sometimes prepared in the house advertisement in front of the house, and it is followed today.
- The rest of the day is used to visit relatives, eat, and share food.
- The dance program dominates the evening of special days. In the famous Bengal town, from folk songs to short plays and even traditional drama performances can be witnessed.
What is the Significance of Panjika among Bengali’s?
As the year drew near, Bengali’s flocked to bookstores and ordered “Bengali Calendar” and “Panjika”. Let us understand the significance of Panjika among Bengali’s.
This is a rather long year’s handbook that can help you find the time of the festival, festive days, auspicious days, from weddings to housewarming, from starting a business to starting a business, etc.
Panjika Publishing Company is a large company in Kolkata. Gupta Press, PM Bagchi, Benimadhab Seal, and Rajendra Library compete with each other to share their share in the Bangla Yearbook.
Panjika comes in several sizes-catalog, full, half, and pocket making it very convenient to use and handle.
The era of Panjikas has arrived, including modern content, such as the phone numbers of hospitals, doctors and police stations.
It also has the religious holiday time for foreigners in Bangladesh, the United States, and the United Kingdom (all of which are in local time).
This makes their demand for Bengali diaspora very high.
Although the British calendar has been prioritized over the Bengali calendar for many years, almost all activities in rural Bengal are based on the Bengali calendar.
Baisakh also ushered in the beginning of a new agricultural season according to Bengali Calendar.
How is New Year Celebrated in West Bengal?
On the eve of the festival, people visit the Kalighat temple and pray to the gods. They cleaned the house and arranged their surroundings to welcome the New Year.
Many people visit the Holy River and soak in the water to purify their souls. Moreover, people dress up in traditional clothes and then get busy all day.
Bengalis cook many delicious dishes on this day, such as lamb curry, fish curry, Radhaballavi, Chholar dal.
For Bengali traders and shop owners, Poila Baisakh is Haal Khata time – an auspicious day to “open” the ledger.
Almost all shops and business centers pay tribute to Ganesh and Lakshmi Puja and formally invite ordinary customers to attend the party.
For consumers, it may not always be worth looking forward to, because Haal Khata also means solving all outstanding debts of the previous year.
Hindus across Bengal celebrate the end of the year or “Chaitra Sankranti” through some exciting gatherings and festivals, such as Gajan and Charak.
The traditional Charak Mela, including some extreme spiritual acrobatics, was held in various towns in West Bengal.
It was finally held on the last day of the year at Latu Babu-Chhatu Babur Bazar in North Kolkata and one day later in Konnagar location of the only “Basi Charaker Mela”.
How is New Year Celebrated in Tripura by Bengali’s?
Believers from all over the country visited Tripurasundari Temple during the New Year. The music festival in Tripura is full of grand and colorful outfits.
The fair is the center of attraction. The locals of Tripura enjoy various folk dances and live performances. The government ensures that all arrangements start a new day.
What are the Cuisines Prepared on the Bengali New Year?
Bengalis’ love for food is best reflected in Poila Baisakh. The home kitchen exudes the aroma of freshly prepared Bengali cuisine.
Especially sweets, because it is considered the beginning of the new year, starting with appetizers or other sweets such as Rosogollas, Payesh, Sandesh, Kalakand, and Ras Malai.
The New Year’s cuisine for lunch, of course, includes various fish and rice. Those who like to eat out can taste a variety of cuisines.
How is Poila Boishakh Different in Bangladesh than India?
During the New Year, there are subtle differences in the way of Celebration between Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Although Poila Baisakh is largely part of the Hindu calendar, “Naba Barsho” is a national festival in the Islamic State of Bangladesh, and the celebration of this part of Bengal is more prosperous.
The celebration was held in Poila Boishakh, West Bengal, and the celebration was called “Pahela Baisakh” in Bangladesh.
This is a public holiday in Kolkata, but in Dhaka, even the newspaper offices are closed on the New Year.
What the two sides of the border have in common is New Year ’s Rabindra Sangeet or Tagore ’s musical performance Esho Hey Baisakh Esho Esho (Come on Baisakh, come on!)
Or the relatively obscure composition Aaj Ranashaje Bajiye Bishan Esheche Esheche Baisach.
The residents of Dhaka start celebrations from dawn and held a public celebration of Poila Baisakh in Ramna Maidan.
Most Kolkata likes to celebrate with music and dance.
Tollygunge, the hometown of movies in Kolkata, celebrates the New Year with the auspicious Maharat function of Bangladeshi film.
It is a traditional part of Poila Baisakh in Tollywood, the Bengali film production center.
The city organized several special programs during this period, attracting many people to Nantan, Kolkata City Hall, New Market, and Medan.
When is Bengali New Year 2021?
Bengali New Year is usually celebrated in Mid-April each year. In the year 2021, the New Year falls on Thursday, April 15.
When is Bengali New Year in the Upcoming Years?
The below table includes all the dates on which New Year will be celebrated in the upcoming years.
| Bengali New Year | Date |
| New Year 2022 | April 15, 2022 |
| New Year 2023 | April 15, 2023 |
| New Year 2024 | April 14, 2024 |
| New Year 2025 | April 15, 2025 |
| New Year 2026 | April 15, 2026 |
| New Year 2027 | April 14, 2027 |
| New Year 2028 | April 14, 2028 |
| New Year 2029 | April 15, 2029 |
| New Year 2030 | April 15, 2030 |
When was Bengali New Year in the Previous Years?
The below table includes all the dates on which New Year was celebrated in the previous years.
| Bengali New Year | Date |
| New Year 2010 | April 15, 2010 |
| New Year 2011 | April 15, 2011 |
| New Year 2012 | April 14, 2012 |
| New Year 2013 | April 15, 2013 |
| New Year 2014 | April 14, 2014 |
| New Year 2015 | April 14, 2015 |
| New Year 2016 | April 14, 2016 |
| New Year 2017 | April 14, 2017 |
| New Year 2018 | April 14, 2018 |
| New Year 2019 | April 15, 2019 |
| New Year 2020 | April 14, 2020 |
Conclusion
According to the Gregorian calendar, the Bengali New Year usually falls around April 14 or April 15.
Whereas the regions which follow the solar calendar, consider the month of Chaitra as the first month of the year, so, the New Year is celebrated on the first day of this month.
India is a land of diversity and there are numerous days throughout the year celebrated as New Year’s Day in the different regions of the country.
Don’t forget to wish your Bengali friends “Shubho Naba Barsho!” (Happy New Year!) On Poila Boishakh, mid-April every year.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
How does Bengali celebrate New Year?
The festival is celebrated with processions, fairs, and family time. The traditional greeting for New Year is “Shubho Noboborsho” which is literally “Happy New Year”. The festive Mangal Shobhajatra is organized in Bangladesh.
Who started New Year for Bengali’s?
Bengali New Year, also known as ‘Pohela Boishakh’ is the first day in the Bengali calendar. Mughal Emperor Akbar introduced the Bengali calendar in 1556 (Gregorian calendar) to make the collection of land tax easier in ‘Subah Bangla’, much of which is now in Bangladesh.
How is Pohela boishakh celebrated?
In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh, or the first day of the New Year, is a national holiday. Bengali’s usually start the day with the traditional simple breakfast of Panta-bhat (leftover rice soaked in water) and fried hilsa fish. Boishakhi Fairs are organized in many parts of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.
What kind of food do you eat in the morning of Pohela boishakh?
Panta is a traditional platter of leftover rice soaked in water with fried hilsha, supplemented with shutki-bhorta, daal, pickles, green chilies, and onion are popular dishes for the Pohela Boishakh festival. People celebrate this cultural festival starting their day having breakfast with panta-ilish.
Which Bengali month has 32 days?
Usually, Falgun has 30 days. (According to the last correction of the Bengali calendar, 1987). So there is no Bengali month which has 32 days.
When in Bengali New Year 2021, 2022 and 2023?
It is usually celebrated in Mid-April each year. In the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 the New Year falls on April 15. However, the new year for Bengali’s in the year 2024 falls on April 14, 2024.