Thursday, Dec 20 2007

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Naba Barsha is celebrated as a New Year for Bengalis. It falls on the first day of the month of Baishak, the first month of the Bengali year. This year the festival is on April 14, 2003. This festival is known as the Poila Baisakh in Bangladesh and is celebrated as a national holiday. The festival is celebrated with songs, dances, regional games, kite-flying-ox, fighting or reciting of poems with all their regional traits and festivity. Even before the Naba Barsha, the last day of the last month of the Bengali Year known as Chaitra-Sankranti, which bids farewell to the past year, is celebrated with equal festivity. Naba Barsha marks a new beginning, a new hope, a year full of joy, well-being and prosperity. To welcome the new year, people clean and decorate their houses. Ladies and girls draw rangolis in front of their house. Beautiful designs are usually drawn on the floors of houses with powdered rice, and it is known as "Alpana". In the middle of the design, an earthen pot decorated with a red and white swastika is kept. The pot is filled with pure water and mango leaves. This is considered as an auspicious sign and symbolises a prosperous year for the family.

People take a dip in a nearby river. They worship goddess Laxmi for the well-being and prosperity of the families. Ladies in traditional Bengali sari (white sari with red border) and flowers in their hair and men in dhoti kurta take part in early morning processions known as Prabhat pheries. This day is the beginning of all business activities in Bengal. On this day businessmen and traders purchase their new accounting books and start their new accounts known as Haalkhata. In this ceremony, Lord Ganesha is worshipped, mantras are chanted and swastiks are drawn on the accounting book by the priests. All the old dues are settled with the customers. The day is spent in feasting and participating in cultural activities. People wish each other "Shubho Nabo Barsho!!". Naba-Barsha is also popular among the tribal people in the Hill areas.