What is Pohela Boishakh?
Pohela Boishakh, or Poila Baisakh, is the first day of the Bengali calendar year. It is celebrated on 14 April in Bangladesh and on 14 or 15 April in West Bengal, Tripura and by Bengalis everywhere. People greet each other with "Shubho Noboborsho".
Halkhata
For shopkeepers and traders, the day begins the new financial year. They open a new ledger called the halkhata after a puja, invite regular customers, settle old accounts and offer them sweets.
Celebrations
People wear new clothes, often red and white, visit temples and elders, and enjoy special Bengali food. In Dhaka, the colourful Mangal Shobhajatra procession, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, welcomes the new year with music, masks and art.