Bengali New Year (Pohela Boishakh) 2025 Date: Shubho Noboborsho, or Bengali New Year, also known as Pohela Boishakh, is the much-anticipated festival celebrated by Bengalis in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura and Bangladesh.
According to Drik Panchang, Pohela Baishakh can be traced back to the time of King Shoshangko of ancient Bengal, who is credited with bringing in the Bengali era. If calculated in the Gregorian calendar, the Bengali era began in about 594.
Pohela Boishakh falls on the first day of the Bengali calendar, and this year, in 2025, it will be observed on Tuesday, April 15, with the moment of Sankranti at 03:30 AM, April 14, Monday.
In Kolkata, people wake up early, take a bath, wear new clothes, and pray to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi for a happy and prosperous year, and the streets come alive with music, dance, and colourful processions while families enjoy traditional meals with fish curry, rice, and sweets like Rasgulla and Sondesh.
READ: Celebrating ‘Poila Boisakh’ with unsung heroes of the Bengali table: Potol, jhinge, and lauki
In Bangladesh, Poila Boishakh is a national holiday, celebrated with the Mangal Shobhajatra procession, where people carry colourful masks and banners. The day is filled with cultural events, fairs, and markets selling traditional crafts.
More than just a New Year celebration, Poila Boishakh is a time of renewal, where families and communities come together to welcome the new year. It coincides with other regional festivals in India, such as Baisakhi in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, and Bihu in Assam.
