Pohela Boishakh: Significance, Rituals and Festivities of the Bengali New Year

Pohela Boishakh, otherwise popularly known as Pahela Baisakhi or Poila Baisakh, is the celebration of the Bengali New Year or Nabo Barsho in West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. It celebrates the advent of the spring season on the first day of the Baishakh month on the Bengali solar Calendar. Thus, Pohela Boishakh generally falls on the 14th or 15th of April on the Gregorian Calendar. This year, Pohela Boishakh falls on 15th April, 2023.

Bengali New Year 2024 is on April 15 Monday

Pohela Boishakh celebrates the beginning of a New Year, and this day is celebrated differently across the country under various names unique to each state. In Tamil Nadu, the New Year is celebrated as Puthandu, or Tamil New Year, while it is popularly known as Vishu in Kerala. In Punjab, Vaisakhi celebrates the dawn of a new year, whereas it is Bihu in Assam and Pana Sankranti in Orissa. Mesha Sankranti is a Hindu festival that marks the New Year in the Indian Solar Calendar.

Festivities and celebrations go loud and opulent in splendor, pomp and grandeur. People dress up in brand new clothes, visit temples, and spend quality time wth family and friends when the wish each other ‘Happy Bengali New Year,’ or Shubho Nabo Barsho.

When is Pohela Boishakh?

This is one special celebration in which all Bengalis take part. It usually falls of the 14th or 15th of April every year and is celebrated with a lot of pomp. This marks the New Year and is one of the biggest festivals that you would witness in Bengal.

Spiritual Significance of Pohela Boishakh

Since this is the harvest festival, people pray to Lord Ganesha and also to Goddess Laxmi so that their life and households are filled with God’s blessings. 

On this day, a lot of prayers are chanted as people believe this will bring in happiness, good health, long lives and then prosperous lives. Once prayers are over, it is considered an auspicious day to begin new ventures and even clear off old loans.

They believe the beginning of the month is a day that should be welcomed properly and then the whole year will be fine.

Rituals connected to Bengal New Year

• In the morning, the day starts off by believers watching the first morning rising sun, as they believe it will be auspicious. 
• After this, a religious procession is undertaken and such a clustered procession is called Prabhat Pheris. This is really worth the watch!
• The attire is one of a kind as Garad sarees are worn by women. These are white sarees with bright red borders. They decorate their hair with fresh flowers.
• Women adorn themselves large gold earrings and heavy jewellery that is mostly gold. They look elegant and this is accompanied with some white pearls.
• Men dress in traditional kurtas and dhotis and these are mostly white in colour.
• Men wear ‘tikka’ that is obtained at the temple.
• After the procession, the men and women sing songs and dance to various traditional folk songs.
• Apart from this, a grand breakfast is prepared by the women in the households. This meal consists of rice, fish, green chillies, onions and certain sweets. 
• Rangolis are prepared in the home ad sometimes in front of the home and this is being followed even to this date.
• The rest of the day is spend by visiting relatives and also eating and sharing good food. 
• Dance programmes rule the evenings of the special day. From folk songs to skits and even traditional theatre performances can be witnessed in the prominent towns of Bengal.

Facts about the traditions of Bengali New Year

• On this day, if you are in Bengal- be like one and greet them in the native language with a ‘Shubho Nabho Barsho’which means ‘Happy New Year’.
• In Bangladesh it is most commonly known as Pahela Baisakhi.
• This festival has gained a lot of prominence in Australia and in fact if you happen to be in Sydney- you can be a part of the Sydney Baisakhi. It is said to have grown immensely over the past few years and is in fact a lavish event of colours, traditions and good food.
• If you are out in the markets on this day, then you can must try shopping from many shops, as that day you can get highly discounted items on sale.
• This is because want to sell off everything and start a fresh set of business once the new year commences on full stretch.
• Heard about the Boishakhi Mela? Well, that is a fair or mela that is conducted in the markets of Sweden, UK and even Australia during the Bengali New Year.