03/03/2024
Memorize The Calendar March 2024:
Bengali New Year: Akbar invented the modern Bengali calendar
The Mughal Emperor fused Hindu and Islamic dating systems to create a new calendar that is still in use today. (ref. Shoaib Daniyal
Apr 15, 2015 · 08:50 am)
The Calendar at the Heart of Bengali Culture. At different times of the year, we often notice our cities and towns adorned in vibrant colours. They are painted yellow on the first day of Falgun. Baishakh is welcomed with fairs and rallies, red and white ensembles, traditional meals, and old customs. Kites fly in the skies of Old Dhaka at the end of Poush, turning it into a kaleidoscope of brightly coloured papers.
This fondness for festivities is summed up in the saying "Bengalis have thirteen parvans (festivals) in twelve months." They observe these age-old cultural festivals by following the Bangla calendar.
There are different schools of thought about how the Bangla calendar has evolved to its present structure. Some contribute it to Mughals and some to Raja Shashank. Regardless of the origin, it was in use during both of these periods. The predecessor of today's Bangla calendar was used to collect taxes in the Mughal era.
The calendar was amended by Dr Muhammad Shahidullah in 1956. Later, the Bangladesh government adopted it as the official calendar in 1986. It has been followed along with the Gregorian calendar ever since. The latest amendment took place in 2019, pushing the first day of spring to February 14.
The cultural celebrations of Bangladesh mostly revolve around its seasons. Pahela Baishakh, the biggest festival of Bengalis, is celebrated to welcome the Bangla New Year. The tradition of opening a new haal khata or a ledger on this day is hundreds of years old.
Barsha utsab is observed to mark the beginning of the monsoon. Sakrain, the kite festival is held at the end of the Bangla month of Chaitra. Boshonto boron, the arrival of spring is rooted in the change of seasons as well.
Some similar festivities are Nabanna, the celebration of the harvest of new crops, boat race, and the pitha utsab which celebrates locally made cakes and desserts. Some of these were previously only held in villages on a much smaller scale. Over the years, connectivity has spread due to the easy access to technology. These festivals have become nationwide celebrations as a result.
Bangladesh's many indigenous communities have multitudes of yearly festivals and traditions, too.The Chakma's Phool Biju, the Tripura's Boisu and the Marma's Sangrai are some of these festivities that take place on the last two days of Chaitra and the first day of Baishakh. (Ref. Shimin Mushsharat
Thu Apr 14, 2022 12:00 AM, The Daily Star)
