The nation celebrated Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla calendar, on Friday amid traditional festivities and enthusiasm, and with a fresh vow to eliminate extremism from the country.
Different socio-cultural organisations and institutions arranged various programmes to mark the country’s biggest cultural festival at the advent of the New Year.
True to their centuries’ old tradition, people from all walks of life gathered at different popular and historic spots at dawn in the capital and elsewhere across the country to welcome the Bangla New Year 1424 with new hopes and aspirations.
Mughal Emperor Akbar started the Bangla calendar year in 1556 and the celebrations of Pahela Baishakh began during his rule. Now it has become an integral part of the Bangali’s cultural heritage and tradition and turned into a day of merriment.
Men, wearing panjabi-pyjama, women attired in saris with red borders, and children in colourful dresses thronged traditional Baishakhi Melas (fairs) and other cultural functions in the city and other parts of the country. People took ‘Panta Bhat (watery rice)’ with fried fish, lentils, green chili and onions at home, restaurants and fairs following the rich tradition of Bangla culture.
The day was a public holiday. Traders and shopkeepers across the country opened ‘Halkhata’ (new ledger books) and entertained customers and visitors with sweetmeat on the first day of the New Year as part of the tradition and culture.
