Poila Boishakh 2025: The Gregorian calendar marks January 1 as the start of the New Year worldwide. However, in India, different religions and communities celebrate the New Year on different dates. The Hindu New Year begins on the first day of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra, Sikhs celebrate their New Year on Vaisakhi, the Parsi New Year is observed on Navroz, and the Jain community celebrates the New Year the day after Diwali. Similarly, the Bengali community celebrates their New Year on ‘Poila Boishakh.’
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When Is Poila Boishakh 2025?
Bengali New Year is a very important day for the Bengali community, celebrated like a festival, usually around the middle of April each year. This year, Poila Boishakh or Bengali New Year will be celebrated on April 15, 2025. This day marks the beginning of the Bengali year 1432. “Poila” means “first,” and “Boishakh” refers to “the first month of the year.” Therefore, Poila Boishakh signifies the first day of the year.
What Do People Do On Poila Boishakh?
- On this day, people greet each other by saying “Shubho Nobo Borsho,” wishing a happy New Year.
- Women wear traditional Bengali attire, a white saree with a red border, while men wear a dhoti-kurta.
- In the morning, a procession is held, with people singing and dancing.
- On the first day of the year, Bengali people buy a “Panjika” (Bengali almanac or calendar).
- Traditional foods like bhat (rice), maach (fish), and payesh (kheer) are prepared in homes.
- For luck and prosperity, Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped in every home.
- Poila Boishakh is considered an auspicious day for starting new ventures or businesses, housewarming ceremonies, and rituals like tonsuring.
History Of Poila Boishakh
The history of Bengali New Year, or Poila Boishakh, is linked to the Mughal rulers. It is believed that during the Mughal rule, the Islamic Hijri calendar was in use, which was lunar-based, causing dates to change every year. This posed a problem for farmers as crops depended on the solar calendar, and the lunar calendar did not align with agricultural cycles. To resolve this, Emperor Akbar asked his astronomer, Fathullah Shirazi, to create a new calendar for the Bengalis to make tax collection easier. The emperor wanted to set the time for tax collection based on harvest periods, which led to the creation of the Bengali calendar. Thus, the beginning of Bongabdo is believed to be in 594 CE, and the first year of the Bengali calendar was implemented by Akbar’s order.
According to some historians, the Bengali era began in the 7th century during the reign of King Shoshanko. There is also a view that the Bengali calendar was established by combining the lunar Islamic calendar with the solar Hindu calendar. In some rural areas, Bengali Hindus attribute the start of their era to Emperor Vikramaditya, believing that the Bengali calendar began in 594 CE.
[Disclaimer: The content of this article is based solely on beliefs, and should be taken as general guidance. Individual experiences may vary. ABPLive.com does not assert the accuracy or validity of any claims or information presented. It is strongly recommended to consult a qualified expert before considering or implementing any information or belief discussed herein.]
