

Be sure to greet your Bengali friends with this greeting on Poila Boishakh or Bengali New Year.

Dips may also be served such as Dhonepatar Chatni.Īll throughout the day Bengalis will wish each other “Shubho Naba Barsho!” Which translates as “Happy New Year” in English. Snacks served throughout the day include Dimer Devil, Mangsher Singara, and Onion Pakora. Many people will also serve fish, rice, meat and vegetable dishes which include Peas Pilaf, Afghani Murgh Pulao, Mishti Pulao, Tilapia Shorshe, Chicken Do Pyaza, Mutton Kosha and Jhiri Jhiri Alu Bhaja.

However, sweet dishes aren’t the only things served on Poila Baisakh. These sweet dishes include Sandesh, Ras Malai, Payesh, and Rosogollas. Many Bengali households will begin the New Year with sweet Bengali delicacies. On this day, men will often wear Punjabis and women will wear flowers in their hair. In the larger cities, most of the festivals begin with people gathering under the largest tree or alongside the bank of a river so they can witness the sun coming up. The day is also marked with lots of processions, people singing and fairs. While many Bengalis are beginning to convert to English calendar, most of them still use the Bengali calendar for festivals and holidays.īengali New Year begins officially at dawn and many businesses begin their day by clearing out their old ledgers and beginning new ones. This rather thick almanac list all of the holidays, festivals and religious events for the coming New Year. Near the end of every year, Bengalis rush to find a copy of the Panjika. Almanac makers in India still use the formulas and equations that are found in the Surya Siddhanta to calculate their almanacs, otherwise known as Panjikas. However, the month of Maagh starts from January 15 till February 12th and is one of the most auspicious months for Bengali marriages. Between the dates, December 17th to January 14th is the month of 'Poush' when there are no marriage dates or time. These treatises became the basis for the Indian solar and lunisolar calendars that are now used in different parts of India. So, the year 2021 consists of dates for two Bengali years which are 14. However, the new year for Bengali’s in the year 2024 falls on April 14, 2024. These treatises determined the motion of the stars, planets, the sun and the moon and their relative relation to not only each other but to other astronomical bodies as well. In the years 2021, 20 the New Year falls on April 15. Surya Siddhanta went back to the 12th century AD but it is based on even older texts that went all the way back to the 6th century AD. The Bengali calendar, much like the Indian Solar calendar, is based on the collective astronomical treatises known as the Surya Siddhanta. As is the case in Western countries, the traditional greeting for the Bengali New Year is “Happy New Year.” History of The Bengali New Year It is a holiday which is celebrated in Bangladesh, West Nepal, and Tripura. At home, the women folks make sweet items and share it among the friends and relatives.The Bengali New Year – also known as Poila Boishakh – is the first day of the Bengali calendar and is celebrated on either April 14th or April 15th. They wear new clothes on these occasions. The peoples flock the temples for early Morning Prayer and give offering to God. The peoples from irrespective of religion, belief, faith, creed and caste participate in these festivals. These festivals are celebrated with lot of fun and abundance. These festivals bring a sense of unity and solidarity among the people of this particular region. How Bengali New Year / Bohag Bihu are celebrated?īengali New Year / Bohag Bihu are mainly a regional festival in North Eastern tradition of India. Bihu and Bengali New Year are the biggest festivals of the people of Assam and West Bengal region. Moreover the advent of the harvest period is marked with the Magh Bihu. The completion work regarding the sowing and transplantation of the saplings is marked with the Kati Bihu. The beginning of sowing of seeds is marked with the Rongali bihu. The people of this particular region celebrate three Bihu festivals spread over a crop period.
