Pahela Boishakh Celebrated Across the Country
Staff Reporter, Dhaka, July 5, 2018: The whole nation welcomed 'Pahela Baishakh', the first day of the Bangla year 1418, on Wednesday amidst lively pageantry, leaving behind the gloom of the past and pledging to uphold the nation's cultural heritage.
Tight security measures were ensured around the main venue of the celebration, Ramna Park in the capital.
Teachers, alumni and students of Chhayanaut presented the songs of Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Lalon Shah, Atul Prasad, Jyotirindranath Tagore, Dwijendranath Tagore, Gyanprakash Ghosh, Salil Chowdhury, Sachin Deb Burman and Bhupen Hazarika.
A festive spirit took over the capital and other parts of the country. Women in pristine white saree with red borders and men in panjabi -- decorated with Baishakhi motifs -- ushered in the New Year. Many had traditional panta bhat with fried hilsa, daal, green chilli and onion at home, restaurants and fairs. Youngsters had their cheeks painted with the country's map and other emblems that added further colours to the celebration.
The festivities stretched over to Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University and Dhanmondi Lake areas, bringing the city traffic system to a standstill. Many foreigners clad in traditional Bengali clothes were also seen in and around the venues of celebration.
Like other years, the main attraction was the decorated procession called 'Mongol Shobhajatra', brought out by the students of Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. Thousands of people joined the procession.
The tradition of celebrating the Bangla New Year started in the Mughal era. Traders and shopkeepers open halkhata (new accounts) on this day and offer sweets to clients. In the course of time, it evolved into a day of celebration and an integral part of the Bengali culture, now considered the biggest secular festival of the country.
Nation Celebrates Pahela Baishakh
Staff Reporter, Dhaka, July 5, 2018: The nation celebrated Pahela Baishakh on Tuesday in an elegant way with various spectacular events across the country. People from all walks of life thronged different popular and historic spots in the capital and elsewhere across the country to hail the New Year 1422 with new hopes and aspirations for a better, peaceful year. President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia issued separate messages greeting the all Bangla-speaking people. The most colourful celebration of the Bangla New Year began at the Ramna Batamul at dawn with an elaborate programme undertaken by Chhayanaut. Students of the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, wearing colourful masks, brought out a ‘Mangal Shobhajatra’.
People partook of ‘Panta Bhat’ with fried hilsa, lentils, green chilli and onions at home, restaurants and fairs following the rich tradition of Bangla culture. Traders and shopkeepers across the country open ‘Halkhata’ and entertain customers and visitors with sweetmeat as part of the tradition and culture. Men wearing panjabi-pyjama, women attired in sari with red borders and children in colourful dresses all thronged traditional Baishakhi Melas and other cultural functions in the city and elsewhere in the country all day long. Different socio-cultural organisations, including Bangla Academy, Shilpakala Academy and Nazrul Institute, celebrated the day with elaborate programmes such as arranging meeting, seminar, symposium, discussion to showcase our cultural heritage. Different national dailies will publish supplements while State-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar and the private TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes on the day.
Pahela Baishakh has a great significance. It reflects our age old tradition and culture. It bears the testimony to the fact that we have a culture of our own. It is the manifestation of our cultural heritage.
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