History of Pohela Boishakh

Pohela Boisha is indeed a momentous occasion in the life of each and every Bangalee. It's the occasion to welcome the New Year with a new hope of peace, prosperity and goodwill. It is generally celebrated on April 14 each year. In Bangladesh , it is a national holiday. Various cultural organizations all across the country. Newspaper and magazines bring out special supplements. Targeting the Pohela Boishakh event various movies, music albums , books etc. are released and special programs are also telecast on television and radio. 

The Bengali Calendar is closely tied with the Hindu Solar Calendar, based on the surya siddhanto. As with many other variants of the Hindu Solar Calendar, the Bengali Calendar commences in mid-April of the Gregorian Year. 
Under the Mughal , agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri Calendar. However, as the Hijri Calendar is a purely Luner Calendar, it does not coincide with the harvest. As a results, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar. 
Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bengali Year on the basis of Hijri Lunar and Hindu Solar Calendars. The new `Fasli san' (agricultural year) was introduced on 10 march 1585, but was dated from Akbar's asccension to the throne in 1556. The new year subsequently became known as Bonggabdo or Bangla Year. 
Celebrations of Pohela Boishakh commenced from Akbar's reign. It was customary to clean up all dues on the last day of Chaitra. On the next day of the first day of the New Year, landlords would entertain their tenants with sweets. On this occasion there used to be fairs and other festivities. In due course the occasion, became part of domestic and social life and turned into a day of merriment. The main event of the day was to open a `halkhata' or new book of accounts.

Writer- MD ALAL UDDIN