Composition : Pohela Boishakh

Pohela Boishakh

↬ Bangla New Year’s Day

↬ The Celebration of Pohela Boishakh in Bangladesh

↬ A Major Social Festival in Bangladesh

In today’s Bangladesh, another festival is gaining prominence, which is not related to religion – it is Bangla New Year’s Day. It is observed with great enthusiasm on the first day of Boishakh of the Bangla calendar. Its main characteristic feature is that it is a social festival and its appeal is universal. Such a festival which is not based on religion but still universal is rare in the world. During the last 400 years, many functions related to agriculture and six seasons have been amalgamated in it and by way of revolving in this way, the first day of Boishakh has turned into the New Year’s Day. Since the 1960s, Bengali New Year’s Day assumed a new dimension. During Ayub rule, when an attack was launched on Tagore songs and Bengali culture, Chhayanat arranged a function of Tagore songs under the famous banyan tree of Ramna on the occasion of observing the New Year’s Day on the first day of Boishakh. This endeavour of Chhayanat gradually became popular. After the independence of Bangladesh, the Bangla New Year’s Day was declared as an official holiday. Pohela Boishakh is now a major social festival in Bangladesh. 

As time passed by, many related matters have been added to this New Year’s Day. Some of these are now extinct, some are on the verge of extinction and a few are still in vogue in certain areas. A function that is on the verge of extinction is Punya. Its origin is not exactly known. However, it was in vogue till the abolition of the permanent settlement. On this day, the tenants would wear their available good clothes and go to the Kachhari or the Zamindar to pay rents and also some extra amounts as a mark of respect of the landlord. 

However, the Halkhata function observed mainly by the business community, is still in vogue. The businessmen complete their accounts of the previous year on the eve of the New Year’s Day. For this, many of them use a special kind of ledger having the cover made up of red cloth, which is known as khero Khata. On this day, the customers pay some advance and the businessmen treat them with sweetmeats. There are some who prepare better quality food, including sweetmeat, on the occasion of the New Year’s Day. Of the regional functions arranged on this occasion, mention may be made of the Bali Khela or wrestling held in Chittagong in the name of a certain Jabbar. The Gambhira of Rajshahi is also a similar kind of function. Once bull race was held in Munshiganj. 

Above all, the biggest function on the first day of Boishakh is the holding of fair. In some places, such a fair continues for a week, even a fortnight. These fairs are the changed forms of the ancient seasonal, agricultural and other festivals of the country. Boishakhi fair has not religious fervour. On the first day as well as first week of Boishakh, about 200 fairs are held throughout Bangladesh. In the fairs arranged in Dhaka and also in other towns and urban areas, along with the earthen and handicraft items, book fairs are also held. Many publishing houses present books to the clients as tokens of New Year’s good wishes.

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Same composition collected from another book

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Pahela Boishakh is the first day of the Bangla new year. People celebrate this day by holding cultural functions and fairs. This day is our national festival. People irrespective of caste, colour, social status, etc. assemble in the fair. They forget all their differences on this day and indulge in pure delight. I went to Ramna Batamul in the Ramna Park, enjoyed the cultural function which was being held various cultural organizations arrange various programmes on this day. Chhayanaut the leading cultural organization of our country is the main attraction on this day. They begin the function with the song, Esho he Boishakh esho esho..... They represent our national culture.

I woke up early in the morning and wearing traditional Bangla dress went to the Batamul by a rickshaw. The famous artistes were singing welcoming the new year. A large number of people of all ages assembled there. On this occasion, a fair was help where various handicrafts were sold. Temporary hotels sold traditional Bangalee foods. This attracted me the most. I bought a plate of wet rice and hilsha fish and ate it to my heart’s content. Then I went to the fair and bought some handicraft. I came back home at 2 pm. Again, I went to the fair with my friends and enjoyed seeing people of different ages in traditional dresses. Pahela Boishakh is a tradition of Bangla culture. So, people of different creeds and religions assemble together to welcome the day. Different cultural organizations arrange folk songs, jatra, boat race and horse race. The day is indeed a day of great rejoicing and merry-making.

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আরো দেখুন :

দুই বন্ধুর মধ্যে পহেলা বৈশাখ নিয়ে একটি সংলাপ
রচনা : নববর্ষ / পহেলা বৈশাখ
অনুচ্ছেদ : বাংলা নববর্ষ
রচনা : বাংলা নববর্ষ উদ্‌যাপন / পহেলা বৈশাখ উদ্‌যাপন / বৈশাখী উৎসব
অনুচ্ছেদ : বৈশাখী মেলা
ঢাকার পহেলা বৈশাখের অভিজ্ঞতা
নববর্ষের শুভেচ্ছা জানিয়ে বন্ধুকে পত্র লেখো
প্রতিবেদন : বিদ্যালয়ে বাংলা নববর্ষ উদ্‌যাপন উপলক্ষ্যে
ভাষণ : বাংলা নববর্ষ বরণ
নববর্ষ উদ্‌যাপনের আয়োজন সম্পর্কে জানিয়ে ভাইকে পত্র লেখো
সাধারণ জ্ঞান : মুহম্মদ এনামুল হক [ বাংলা নববর্ষ ]
অনুচ্ছেদ : মঙ্গল শোভাযাত্রা
বিদ্যালয়ে নববর্ষ উদ্‌যাপন উপলক্ষে একটি আমন্ত্রণপত্র রচনা
‘বৈশাখী মেলা’ শিরোনামে দিনলিপি
বাংলা নববর্ষ উদ্‌যাপন উপলক্ষে দুই বন্ধুর মধ্যে সংলাপ
Application for celebrating Pohela Boishakh
Paragraph : Pahela Baishakh
Report on Boishakhi Mela