Poila Baisakh being celebrated on April 15 every year to mark the start of the Bengali New Year is an occasion for Bengalis to celebrate and pray for a prosperous nabo barsho ahead.
"The Bengali calendar is tied to the Indian solar calendar, based on the Surya Siddhanta. All Bengali Hindus follow the traditional date of 15 April as Poila Baisakh. The length of a year is counted as 365 days, as in the Gregorian calendar. However, the actual time taken by the earth in its revolution around the sun is 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 47 seconds,” according to the West Bengal government’s official website.
On the occasion of Bengali New year or Poila Baisakh people spruce up their houses and paint rangoli patterns with an earthen pot filled with water in the center. The pot is covered with mango leaves and marked with a swastika to denote the auspicious Hindu symbol.
Ganesha and Lakshmi — considered to be deities of auspicious beginnings, prosperity and wealth— are paid tributes while many people visit nearby rivers for ritual baths and prayers. People also wear garlands of red orleanders, daisies, roses, hibiscus, marigolds and other flowers. Traders and shopkeepers print calendars to mark the occasion. Music, dance performances, fairs and processions are an integral part of the festivities.
The festival is celebrated in Bangladesh with equal fervour and as a public holiday.
Shubho Noboborsho!
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