Poila Baishakh- Bengali New year.

Baishakh, also known as Vaishakh is the harvest festival which starts from Mid April usually. The first day of Baishakh or Poila Baishakh is the Naba Barsha means new year for Bengali. The festival generally falls on 13Th or 14Th day of April. The day is a national holiday and is celebrated with full wings of hues in it.

Bengali people celebrates this festival with joy, music, enthusiasm, playing songs games and even reciting poem. The over enthusiastic people also celebrates the eve of the poila Baishakh as Chaitra Sankranti and bid farewell to the year. Bengali's decorate their houses with flowers and Rangolis,the ladies of the houses wear the traditional red and white Saree's and men wear dhoti kurtas to add the charm in the occasion. They also take a ritual bath in Ganga or near by river to become sacred. The early morning the Bengali's take out procession known as Prabhat Pheri, which was followed by wishing all the near and dear ones “ Shubho Nabo Barsho”



Many culturally rich people celebrate the festival with set customs and rituals. The house is decorated by rangolis prepared with flour and an earthen pot is placed in the center with s Swastika on it. The Bengali's pray to Goddess Laxmi- deity of Wealth for well being and prosperity. Bengali Businessman also purchase new accounting book known as Haalkhata to start a new account.

Baishakh has its presence in each and every religion with the different names given to it, as seen as New Year for the Bengali's “ Shubho Nabo Barsho”.

Bihu-Celebrating New year

Bihu is taken from the Sanskrit word "Visuvan " which defines a series of festivals in India that are related to the occurrence of equinox. Equinox happens two times in a year when the Earth's axis is neither close nor far from the Sun. Bihu is a celebration of three different types of Bihu in a year Bohaag Bihu or Rongali Bihu,Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu and Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu.




Like most Indian festivals, Bihu is a celebration related to farming.

Kongali Bihu or Kat Bihu is celebrated in mid October when the paddy grown in Assam is in the growing stage. This particular Bihu has less fun and frolic attached to it as compared to other Bihus, as the granaries are void of any grains. One can see people lighting earthen lamps on the foot of the house, near the tulsi plant and the paddy fields. The tradition of whirling a piece of Bamboo and chanting "Rowa Khowa" to save the maturing crops from the evil eye.
The practice of lighting lamps on the tip of a Bamboo pole is also done to show the way to heaven to souls of the dead.

Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu is celebrated in mid-January.The word Bhog in Bhogali Bihu comes from "Bhog" which means eating and making merry. This marks the end of the harvesting season. A huge feast is prepared as the granaries at this time of the year are full. In the evening, the men folk build a temporary cottage known as Bhelaghar and “Meji” with hay bales. The night is spent singing bihu songs on dhol and dancing around bonfire. The night when the singing and dancing takes place is called “Uruka”.

The morning that follows the “Uruka” has people offering prayers to the God of Fire by burning the main “Meji” and throwing beetel nuts and rice cakes known as Pithas.The residue of the burnt meji is taken home and the same is thrown around the fruit trees for prosperous results. Games like cock fight and buffalo fight are played to continue the merry making.

Rongali Bihu or Bohaag Bihu is the most popular Bihu of the three Bihus. It is celebrated in mid April marking the onset of spring and Assamese New Year which is around April 15 as the first day of the Hindu Solar calendar.
Paddy grown on the fields is cultivated and there is a blissful feeling around. “Larus” which is made out of rice and coconut , “pitha” and Jolpan as delicacies are prepared to celebrate the season. The first day is the Rongali Bihu is called as “Goru Bihu” where cows are washed thoroughly and worshipped. “Goru Bihu “ is followed by “Manuh Bihu”(when people wear new clothes and celebrate new year) and “Gosai Bihu” (statues of Gods are worshipped in every house).