On 14 April Bangladesh celebrates Pohela Boishakh, the first day of the year in the Bengali calendar. In 2026 the year 1433 began. It is the country’s most secular and widely shared festival, celebrated together by Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.
How it is celebrated
- At dawn in Dhaka’s Ramna Park, songs welcome the new year, including “Esho he Boishakh”.
- Red-and-white clothes, flowers in the hair, stalls and craft fairs (mela).
- At the table, panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water) with fried fish, a farmers’ tradition.
- Shopkeepers open a new account book, the haal khata, offering sweets to customers.
A procession on the world heritage list
The colourful procession with masks and giant animal figures that sets off from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016 on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In Italy
In cities with large Bangladeshi communities, Pohela Boishakh brings neighbourhood parties, music and dance shows and food shared with neighbours. For children born in Italy it is a way to discover their parents’ roots; for Italians, a chance to discover a culture living right next to them.
Shubho Noboborsho: happy new year!
