Pohela Boishakh - পহেলা বৈশাখ

Pahela Boisakh falls on April 14 or 15,which is the first day of the Bangla year.It is celebrated in a festive manner in both Bangladesh,West Bengal and the Bengali communities in Asam and Tripura.THis day coincides with various other new years in South Asia.In West Bengal,Bangladesh and Asam Pahela Boishakh is declared as a national holiday....

Similar to many other variants of the Hindu solar calendar,the Bengali calendar commences in mid-April of the Gregorian year.The first day of the Bengali year therefore coincides with the mid-April new year in Assam, Burma, Cambodia, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and Thailand...

For the regulation of the tax collection,King Akbar,the Mughal Emperor,ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi,a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bangla year on the basis of the lunar Hijri and Bangla solar calendars.The new agricultural year was introduced in March 1584,which was dated from Akbar's tenure as a king, in 1556.Later on,the new year became popular by the names 'Bangabda' or Bengali year....

As per the King Akbars directive,all the dues were to be settled on the last day of Chaitra.The next day, that is the first day of the new year,the landlords would entertain their tenants with sweets.The traders and businessmen closed their old account books and on this auspicious day.

The traders invited their customers to share sweets and renew their business relationship with them.Nowdays,this practise is seen in the lobby of jewellers.On this occasion there used to be fairs and other festivities. In due course the occasion became part of domestic and social life, and turned into a day of celebration...