Published 19:16 IST, April 13th 2020
Pohela Boishakh 2020 | Everything you need to know about Bengali New Year 2020
Pohela Boishakh 2020 will be celebrated in West Bengal on April 14, 2020. Read more to know about the Bengali new year's history and significance.
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Pohela Boishakh is a festival that is celebrated in West Bengal. The festival marks the beginning of Bengali New Year. Pohela Boishakh 2020 will be celebrated in April 2020. The festival is also celebrated in different parts of the country with different names. Pohela Boishakh 2020 is celebrated in India with names like Baisakhi in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, Vishu in Kerala, etc. The Bengali new year usually falls around April 15 every year. This year Pohela Boishakh 2020 is celebrated on April 15.
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Pohela Boishakh significance and History
The history of Pohela Boishakh is quite interesting. In the Mughal era, the rulers used to collect the revenues in the form of taxes from the Bengalis according to the Islamic Hijri calendar. It was a lunar calendar which was never in similarity with the Hindu solar calendar. Later, Mughal emperor Akbar requested his astronomer, Fathullah Shirazi to develop a calendar which would be a combination of both the religious calendars. The developed calendar was termed as harvest calendar which was named as Fasholi Shan. According to some historians, this could have given the rise to the Bengali calendar.
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Bengali people across India celebrate Pohela Boishakh with lots of joy and vigour. Boishakh is the first month as per the Bengali calendar. Pohela means first in Bengali. Therefore, Pohela Boishakh means as the first day of the month Boishakh. People wish each other by saying 'Shubho Nobo Borsho' on Pohela Boishaakh. 'Shubho' means happy, 'Nobo' means new and 'Barsho' meaning year.
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Bengalis will make delicious cuisines on the auspicious occasion of Pohela Boishakh 2020. The festival also marks the beginning of the new financial year of Bengalis. Because of that, Bengali people worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi on this day. People wear new clothes and decorate their houses on Pohela Boishakh.
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19:16 IST, April 13th 2020