Pahela
Baishakh
Pahela Baishakh first day of the Bangla year. Pahela
Baishakh is celebrated in a festive manner in both
Bangladesh and West Bengal. In Bangladesh Pahela
Baishakh is a national holiday. Pahela Baisakh falls
on April 14 or 15.
Under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected
according to the Hijri calendar. However, as the
Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar, the agricultural
year does not coincide with the fiscal. As a result,
farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season.
In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal
Emperor AKBAR 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 Fasli San (agricultural year) was introduced
on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from Akbar's
ascension to the throne in 1556. The new year subsequently
became known as BANGABDA or Bengali year.
Celebrations of Pahela Baishakh started from Akbar's
reign. It was customary to clear up all dues on
the last day of Chaitra. On the next day, or the
first day of the new year, landlords would entertain
their tenants with sweets. 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 merriment.
The main event of the day was to open a halkhata
or new book of accounts. This was wholly a financial
affair. In villages, towns and cities, traders and
businessmen closed their old account books and opened
new ones. They used to invite their customers to
share sweets and renew their business relationship
with them. This tradition is still practised, especially
by jewellers.
New year's festivities are closely linked with rural
life in Bengal. Usually on the day everything is
scrubbed and cleaned. People bathe early in the
morning and dress in fine clothes and then go to
visit relatives, friends and neighbours. Special
foods are prepared to entertain guests. Baishakhi
fairs are arranged in many parts of the country.
Various agricultural products, traditional handicrafts,
toys, cosmetics as well as various kinds of food
and sweets. are sold at these fairs. The fairs also
provide entertainment, with singers and dancers
stagingJATRA, PALAGAN, KAVIGAN, JARIGAN, GAMBHIRA,
GARIGAN and ALKAP GAN. They present folk songs as
well as BAUL marfati, MURSHIDI and BHATIALI songs.
Narrative plays like LAILY-MAJNU, YUSUF-ZULEKHA
and Radha-Krishna are staged. Among other attractions
of these fairs are puppet shows and merry-go-rounds. |
