Poila Boishakh (Bengali: , or Bengali New Year Bengali: , Bangla Nbobrsho), is

the first day of the Bengali calendar, celebrated on 14 April in the Bangladesh and 15 April in the
Indian state of West Bengal by the Bengali people and also by minor Bengali communities in other
Indian states, including Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand and Orrisa. It coincides with the New Year's days
of numerous Southern Asian calendars like Tamil new year Puthandu. The traditional greeting for
Bengali New Year is "Shubh Nbobrsho" which is literally "Happy New Year".

In Bengali, Pohela stands for first and Boishakh is the first month of the Bengali calendar. Bengali
New Year is referred to in Bengali as "New Year" (Bengali: Noboborsho) or "First of Boishakh"
(Bengali: Phela Boishakh).

The Bengali calendar is tied to the Indian solar calendar, based on the Surya Siddhanta. As with many
other variants of the Indian 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
Mithila, Assam, Burma, Cambodia, Kerala, Manipur, Nepal, Odisha, Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and
Thailand.
The development of the Bengali calendar is often attributed to king of Gour or Gauda, Shashanka as
the starting date falls squarely within his reign.
Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, introduced a revised Bengali Calendar in order to
make tax collection easier in Bengal. The Mughals collected tax according to the Islamic calendar and
Akbar ordered an improvement of the calendar systems, because the lunar Islamic calendar did not
agree with the harvest sessions and the farmers faced severe difficulties in paying taxes out of season.
Some sources credit the idea to the finance minister of Akbar, Todar Mal. The distinctive characteristic
of this revised Bengali year was that, rather than being a solar or lunar calendar, it was based on a
union of the solar and lunar year. This was essentially a great promotion, as the solar and lunar years
were formulated in very diverse systems. Primarily this calendar was named as Fasli San and then
"Bnggabd". The Bengali Year was launched on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from 5 November
1556 or 963 Hijri. This was the day that Akbar defeated Himu in the clash of Panipat 2 to ascend the
throne.
The Bengali calendar was modified again by a committee headed by Muhammad Shahidullah under
the auspices of the Bangla Academy on 17 February 1966, which was officially adopted by the
Bangladesh government in 1987. The length of a year is counted as 365 days, as in the Gregorian
calendar. However, the actual time taken by the earth in its revolution around the sun is 365 days 5
hours 48 minutes and 47 seconds. To make up this discrepancy, the Gregorian calendar adds an extra

day, to make a leap year, to the month of February every fourth year (except in years divisible by 100
but not by 400). To counter this discrepancy, and to make the Bengali calendar more precise, the
following recommendations of the Bangla Academy are followed: The first five months of the year
from Bishakh to Bhadr will consist of 31 days each. The remaining seven months of the year from
Ashbin to Chitr will consist of 30 days each. In every leap year of the Gregorian calendar, an
additional day will be added in the month of Falgun (which is just 14 days after 29 February).
The first day of the New Year of the Indian solar calendar and all derived calenders including Bengali
calendar is the first day of the new year, and historically the day has been seen across the subcontinent
as the day for a new opening and celebrated accordingly. In Bengal landlords used to allocate sweets
among their tenants, and businessmen would commence a Halkhata (new financial records book)
and lock their old ones. Vendors used to provoke their consumers to allocate sweets and renew their
business relationship with them. There were fairs and festivities all over.
The Bengali New Year begins at dawn, and the day is marked with singing, processions, and fairs.
Traditionally, businesses start this day with a new ledger, clearing out the old.
People of Bangladesh enjoy a national holiday on Poila Boishakh. All over the country people can
enjoy fairs and festivals. Singers perform traditional songs welcoming the new year. People enjoy
classical jatra plays.
Like other festivals of the region, the day is marked by visiting relatives, friends and neighbors. People
prepare special dishes for their guests.
The festivities from the deep heartland of Bengal have now evolved to become vast events in the cities,
especially the capital Dhaka.
In Dhaka and other large cities, the festivals begin with people gathering under a big tree. People also
find any bank of a lake or river to witness the sunrise. Artists present songs to welcome the new year,
particularly with Rabindranath Tagore's well-known song "Esho, he Boishakh".
People from all spheres of life wear classical Bengali dresses. Women wear saris with their hair
bedecked in flowers. Likewise, men prefer to wear panjabis. A huge part of the festivities in the capital
is a vivid procession organized by the students and teachers of Institute of Fine Arts, University of
Dhaka.
Of the major holidays celebrated in Bangladesh and West Bengal, only Pila Boishakh comes without
any preexisting expectations. Unlike Eid ul-Fitr and Durga Pujo, where dressing up in lavish clothes
has become a norm, or Christmas where exchanging gifts has become an essential part of the holiday,
Pila Boishakh is about celebrating the simpler, rural heartland roots of the Bengal.

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