Shubho Nabo Barsho 2021: Date and history of Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year

This year, Pohela Boishakh or the Bengali New Year will be celebrated on April 15. However, the celebrations are not going to be as grand as the previous years due to the pandemic, you can still spend time with your family while enjoying delicious meals.

Pohela Boisakh or Shubho Nobo Borsho is the Bengali New Year which is celebrated with a lot of gusto every year. It is the first day of the first month of Boishakh according to the lunisolar Bengali calendar and usually falls on April 14 or 15. This year, it is being celebrated on April 15. Pohela Boisakh is enjoyed all around the country but in West Bengal, Tripura and Assam the celebrations and the fervour are on an altogether different level.

Shubo Nabo Barsho 2021

There are a number of fairs organised in these cities where you can hear people greeting each other by saying, "Shubho Nobobarsho," which translates to Happy New Year. People buy new clothes and have a gala time together. However, the celebrations will not be as grand this year as compared to before due to the pandemic, you can still spend quality time with your near and dear ones at home while enjoying delectable Bengali dishes. There is also a very interesting story attached to the festival which is from the Mughal era and tells how and why the occasion actually came into existence.

History of Pohela Boisakh or Shubho Noboborsho

According to multiple reports, this day was introduced during the reign of Emperor Akbar in an attempt to come up with a fixed day every year on which the tax on the harvest could be collected. It is believed that Akbar followed the lunar Islamic Hijri calendar which never coincided with the solar agriculture cycles, as a result, a new harvest calendar called the Fasholi Shan was created and was believed to be the advent of the Bengali calendar.

Now the festival is celebrated by buying new clothes and spending time with families while cooking traditional delicious recipes together.

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