DHAKA, Apr 15 (NNN-BSS) – With much fervour and enthusiasm, people in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere in the country, joined in celebrations of the traditional new year yesterday.
In traditional costumes, Dhaka residents participated in a colourful procession, the Mangal Shobha Jatra, to welcome the Bengali New Year 1430, with renewed hope and good spirits.
The procession started from the Dhaka University, following the conclusion of a flagship curtain-raising cultural event at dawn, held in the city’s lush green Ramna Park.
People from all walks of life in Dhaka, participated in the mega colourful procession, featuring evocative masks, floats and motifs of the Bangladeshi culture.
The motifs highlighted a large-scale replica of a horse, alongside other handcrafted clay figurines and traditional artefacts, which were all made by Dhaka University students and teachers.
The Institute of Fine Arts on the campus of the Dhaka University, coordinated the procession to welcome the Bengali New Year.
The procession was held amid tight security, with law enforcement personnel setting up security cordons at both the front and the back.
In Bangladesh, Pohela Boishakh, or the first day of the Bengali calendar, is a national holiday.
Bengalis usually start the New Year’s day with the traditional simple breakfast of panta-bhat (leftover rice soaked in water) and fried hilsa fish.
Boishakhi Fairs are organised in many parts of Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, showcasing the rural area lifestyle while staging traditional folk songs and plays.
The celebration of Pohela Boishakh marks the advent of the Bengali New Year, which is now considered an integral part of the Bengali cultural heritage and tradition.– NNN-BSS
