
The country is set to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year 1425, on Saturday upholding the rich cultural values and rituals of the Bangalis to find out their root and march forward to build a prosperous Bangladesh.
Pahela Baishakh is one of the most colorful festivals through which the Bangalis bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. Reports BSS.
On this occasion, people from all walks of life wear traditional Bengali dresses. Young women will wear white sarees with red borders and adorn themselves with bangles, flowers, and tips, while men wear white pyjamas and panjabi or kurta.
At an inter-ministerial meeting held recently, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said, ‘Pahela Baishakh is an integral part of Bangali culture. The Bangalis are celebrating the Pahela Baishakh as a universal and non-communal festival for a long period of time.’
He said the government will expand the traditional Mangal Shobhajatra, a procession brought on the first day of Bengali New Year, to town and village levels to make the tradition more ceremonious and gorgeous.
‘We are very proud as 'Mongol Shobhajatra' got UNESCO recognition as world heritage,’ the minister added.
The government has drawn up an elaborate program. The traditional Mongol Shobhajatra will be brought out at divisional, district and upazila levels to reach the traditional program to the grassroots as it earned the international recognition.
However, business communities, especially in the rural areas, are ready to open their traditional 'Halkhata', new account books, while sweets will be distributed among customers to mark the day.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages greeting the countrymen on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh.
In separate messages on the eve of Pahela Baishakh-1425, they wished peace, happiness and prosperity of the people and the country in the New Year.
The President, in his message, said Bangla Nababarsha is a universal and non-communal cultural festival of the Bengali nation for a long.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the nation starts the first day of Bengali New Year with the hope of progress of life forgetting all shortcomings and sorrows.
She wished that the Bengali New Year 1425 would bring happiness, peace and progress for the country.
The day is a public holiday.
Different national dailies will publish colorful supplements while Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will air special programs highlighting the significance of Pahela Baishakh.
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