Bengali New Year 2023: Pohela Boishakh, also known as Bengali New Year or Nobo Borso, is the first day of the Bengali solar calendar’s Baishakh month. It is one of the most significant Bengali holidays and is celebrated with great grandeur in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Additionally, it is a national holiday in Bangladesh. On this day, people don new clothes, visit temples, consume delectable dishes, and spend time with their loved ones. On this day, Bengalis exchange the phrase Shubho Nabo Barsho, which translates to “Happy New Year.” Throughout West Bengal, numerous festivals and events are organised to commemorate this joyous occasion. Pohela Boishakh coincides with other regional festivals, such as Baisakhi in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, and Bihu in Assam, which is quite interesting.
As the first day of the Bengali month, Pahela Baisakh is joyfully commemorated on April 14 or 15 across the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Odisha, and Assam. On the fourteenth of April, Bangladesh celebrates Pohela Boisakh, which is a national holiday. Pohela Boisakh is a harvest festival where people celebrate the prosperity and happiness of harvesting produce.
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According to the Hijri calendar, agricultural taxes were collected by the Mughals. Due to the lunar nature of the Hijri calendar, it does not coincide with the harvest. Consequently, producers found it difficult to pay taxes during the off-season. The Mughal emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar in order to expedite tax collection. Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, devised the Bengali year in accordance with the Hijri lunar and Hindu solar calendars. The new agricultural year (Fasli San) was instituted on March 10/11, 1584, but was dated to Akbar’s accession to the throne in 1556. Subsequently, the new year became known as Bônggabdo or Bengali year.
The celebration of Pohela Boishakh began during the reign of Akbar. It was customary for all debts to be settled on the last day of Choitro. The following day, or the first day of the new year, proprietors would provide sweets for their tenants. This event formerly featured festivals and other celebrations. Eventually, the event became a part of domestic and social life and a day of celebration. The primary event of the day was the opening of a new accounting book, or halkhata. This was an entirely financial transaction. In villages, towns, and cities, merchants and businesspeople closed and opened new account accounts. They used to invite their clients to a gathering where they shared treats and renewed their business relationship. This custom is still observed, particularly by jewellers.
The celebration of Pohela Boishakh began during the reign of Akbar. It was customary for all debts to be settled on the last day of Choitro. The following day, or the first day of the new year, proprietors would provide sweets for their tenants. This event formerly featured festivals and other celebrations. Eventually, the event became a part of domestic and social life and a day of celebration. The primary event of the day was the opening of a new accounting book, or halkhata. This was an entirely financial transaction. In villages, towns, and cities, merchants and businesspeople closed and opened new account accounts. They used to invite their clients to a gathering where they shared treats and renewed their business relationship. This custom is still observed, particularly by jewellers.
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People pray to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi during the harvest festival so that their lives and homes are filled with God’s favours.
On this day, many prayers are recited because people believe that doing so will bring them pleasure, good health, long lives, and ultimately prosperity. After prayers conclude, it is considered an auspicious time to launch new endeavours and even pay off old debts.
They believe that the commencement of each month should be celebrated, and then the entire year will be successful.