In the morning of 14 April Bangladesh ushered in Bangla New Year 1425 on Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar, by bringing out Mangal Shovajatra, a UNESCO inscribed ICH element. Clad in colorful punjabis and saris, people from all levels of society took part in Mangal Shovajatra parades hoping rid themselves of past evils and begin a better future. The biggest and most attractive Mangal Shovajatra parade was at the Dhaka University in the capital city Dhaka. Hundreds of people carried student and faculty artworks representing evil and good. Similar processions were brought out in all districts. Moreover, Baishakhi Mela (fair) displaying traditional food and artwork, cultural programs, and other events were held across the country. At sunrise, thousands of people gathered at Ramna Batamul, the main venue of the Dhaka celebrations, where Chhayanaut, a cultural organization, has been holding an annual music soiree since 1965 to welcome the Bangla New Year. Other government and private cultural organizations held Pahela Baishakh celebration programs that included traditional music and performances along with recitations, contemporary songs, and dance. On 14 April, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy held special programs at its open field in the afternoon and at the National Theatre Hall in the evening. The programs featured lathi khela (tricks with sticks), songs, dance, and acrobatics. The academy also held programs, in association with different organizations, at Mirpur, Uttara, and Old Dhaka in the morning. In such events traditional troupes from Manikganj, Chapai Nawabganj, and other places displayed lathi khela and presented different folk music genres like gambhira. Renowned singers, dancers, and recitation artistes also performed at the program organized by the academy. At the Bangbandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, over one thousand singers performed in a chorus in an open-air concert organized by the Shurer Dhara music school. The Bangla Academy welcomed Bangla New Year through a program featuring a discussion and cultural show at Rabindra Chattar. The Bangla Academy also organized a five-day folklore workshop for folklore experts from Bangladesh, India, and the USA. Bangladesh Small & Cottage Industries Corporation in association with Bangla Academy organized a ten-day Baishakhi fair featuring traditional sweets, books, craft items, and other culture events. Sammilita Sangskritik Jote held a cultural program at Dhanmondi’s Rabindra Sarobar. The Bangla year with its first month, Baishakh, was introduced during the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great (1542–c. 1605). The day is a public holiday. All radio and TV channels air special programs while newspapers publish special supplements. While Bengalis celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the hill communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts celebrated Baisabi. Baisabi is a term formed by the first syllables of the Baisuk Tripura festival, Marma’s Sangrain, and the Biju Chakma festival or Tanchangya’s Bisu. Photo : People from all levels of society participate at the Mangal Shovajatra parade on 14 April welcoming the Bangla New Year © Snaul Haque/ New Age

Pahela Baishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar. It has been celebrated within urban and rural communities since Mughal emperor Akbar inaugurated it in the fifteenth century to align with harvest season and tax collection. Irrespective of its name or origin, it has become a celebration across all faiths, castes, classes, creeds, genders, or ages, which makes it a secular identity of Bangladeshis and a way to voice against communal fundamentalism and promote unity and solidarity. The colorful procession that is an integral part of today’s Baishakh celebration is Mangal Shobhajatra. Mangal Shobhajatra literally means ‘procession of well-being’. The procession is a cultural affair deeply rooted in the Bengali tradition of making clay dolls, pots, and other decorative pieces. It is said that Charupeethh, the cultural organization first organized the procession in Jessore in 1985 to celebrate the Bengali new year with puppets, masks, and music. In 1989, the students of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University observed Mangal Shobhajatra for the first time in Dhaka and used it as to overcome their frustration with the existing military dictatorship. The people behind it were Mahabub Jamal Shamim, Moklesur Rahman, and Heronmay Chanda. The procession usually has three themes—one set shows oppression and evil, a second theme represents people’s courage and strength to overcome the said evil, and the last theme reflects peace and solidarity of the people. This year’s (1424 Banggabda/ Bengali year) theme was to look toward light with the slogan “Anandaloke Mangalaloke Biraja Satyasundara” from Rabindranath Tagore’s line. As in previous years, this year’s Mangal Shobhajatra drew thousands of participants from different walks of life. The participants carried colorful masks and floats of flowers, birds, animals, sun, and other motifs while the sun stood as a calling to come toward lights, shunning the darkness. The symbolic sun with its two shades—one is bright and the other is dark—represented two shades of human nature. Fish and birds on the other hand highlighted the cultural heritage of the country while the elephant symbolized prosperity. After the procession, the masks are often given away or sold as part of a charity fund drive. In 2016, the Intergovernmental Committee on Safeguarding Cultural Heritage of UNESCO registered the Mangal Shobhajatra on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It added a new dimension of celebration this year as the government of Bangladesh organized the procession across the country. West Bengal, India, also brought out the traditional Mangal Shobhajatra in 2017. photo: Bangladeshi children with placard in at Pohela Boishakh celebration CC-BY-SA-4.0 Moheen Reeyad