The new day of the year is New Year. On this day, everyone welcomes the new year. They try to forget all the sorrows and sorrows of the past year. New Year highlights the history, tradition and culture of a nation. The New Year festival makes people forget failures and disappointments and inspires them with new hope. That is why the New Year festival is celebrated in different countries of the world at different times and in different ways.
Pahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bengali year, Bengali New Year. The day is celebrated in a special festive atmosphere as New Year among all Bengalis around the world, including Bangladesh and West Bengal and Tripura in India. As such, it is a universal festival of Bengalis. This Pahela Baishakh or Bengali New Year is the bearer and carrier of our Bengali culture. ‘Culture’ is the way of life of the people of a country or society; the identifying characteristic of a nation or people. In the words of Professor Laski, ‘What we are’ means that what we are is our ‘culture’. In a broader sense, culture is the expression of the distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional thoughts and actions of a nation or social group. It is part of human rights, values, traditions, beliefs and lifestyle and culture. We Bengalis also have a cultural heritage. And this Pohela Baishakh or Bengali New Year is a part of our cultural heritage. The Bangla year is welcomed through the festival.
It is not known exactly when the Bangla year or Bangabda began and how it spread. Many people believe that the Bangla year originated during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Some say that the sultans of independent Bengal initiated it. Others believe that the Bangla year is the work of Shashank or an older ruler. However, according to most experts, the Bangla year was established during the reign of Emperor Akbar. The original name of the Bangla year was ‘Tarikh-e-Elahi’. The Mughal emperor Akbar introduced the ‘Tarikh-e-Elahi’ on March 10 or 11 of the 29th year of his reign in 1585. The names of the twelve months of the Tarikh-e-Elahi were Karbadin, Ardi, Bisua, Kordad, Teer, Amardad, Shahriar, Aban, Azure, Baham, Iskander, Miz. Later, the scholar and economic advisor of the royal court, Amir Fatehullah Siraji, a member of the reform committee formed under the leadership of his own revenue minister Todarmal, established the Bangla Year. The Bangla Year was introduced to avoid obstacles in collecting and collecting revenue from the farmers of that time. At the time of introducing this year, the Hijri year was considered as its source year. This year was counted from 963 Hijri, commemorating the emperor’s accession to the throne (April 11, 1556). The English year is obtained by adding 593 years, 3 months and 13 days to the Bengali year. Fatehullah Siraji took the Hijri calendar as the source, but took the Bengali year and its names from the Shakabda. As a result, the year became acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. The Shakabda was introduced in 78 AD. Emperor Kanishka introduced it 515 years before the Bengali year and its journey began. The Bengali months are named after each star. For example, Visakha, Jyeshtha, Purvashadha, Srabana, Purvabhadrapada, Ashwini, Krittika, Mrigasira, Pushya, Magha, Purva Phalguni and Chitra. The twelve months are named after the stars, respectively, as Baishakh, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Srabana, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Agrahayana, Paush, Magh, Phalgun and Chaitra. The months have a relationship with these stars, hence the name. Among the seven names of the days, Ravi and Soma are named after the sun and moon. The five days, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, are named after five planets.
East Pakistan always tried to suppress Bengali culture. In protest against the ban on publishing Rabindranath’s poems and songs, Chhayanaut first organized the Pahela Baishakh New Year celebration at Ramna Park in 1965 (1375 Bangabhabhi). Then, making Bengali New Year a national festival, the program was organized at the foot of Ramna in 1967. Since then, Bengali New Year has become a national festival for all Bengalis.
Another significant place in the celebration of Bengali New Year is occupied by the ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’. In 1985, an organization named ‘Charupith’ organized a New Year celebration for the first time in Jessore to bring all the people together by presenting the folk culture of the country. After the Jessore procession, the first Ananda Shobhajatra was organized in 1989 by the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. Since 1995, this joyous procession has been known as the ‘Mangal Shobhajatra;’. Currently, this procession is organized across the country and abroad. Artist Imdad Hossain named it ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’. On November 30, 2016, the colorful festival of welcoming the Bengali New Year, ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’, was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). At the 11th session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Mangal Shobhajatra was included in the UNESCO (Tangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) list at the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, from November 28 to December 2, 2016. As a result, the Mangal Shobhajatra is no longer just for Bangladesh. It has gained special status as an element of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. It is worth noting that Mangal Shobhajatra is currently one of the intangible cultural heritages declared by UNESCO in Bangladesh, along with Baul music and Jamdani.
Bengali New Year is a universal festival. The tribals also celebrate this festival with pomp. That is why colorful festival arrangements are made in the mountains. This day is known as ‘Baisabi’ among the hill tribals.
Like a pendulum, the day turns into a month, the month turns into a year. The six seasons change one after another. Similarly, the new year turns around again. Everyone eagerly waits for this day of the New Year throughout the year, and there are many arrangements. However, everyone must be aware that this day should not be swallowed up by bad culture in the name of culture. In a country where most of the poor people are running out of salt, the luxury culture called ‘Panta Hilsa’ should be abandoned and the New Year should be truly a universal festival. On this day, not just for one day, but let everyone maintain 100% Bengaliness every day of the year. May the New Year be happy for everyone, may it bring good news. Happy Bengali New Year.
