In Bengali calendar, a new year starts on 1st Boisakh. Boisakh is the first month and then there comes Jaisthya, Asharh, Shraban, Vadra, Aswin, Poush, Magh, Falgun and Chaitra. Yesterday it was Chaitra Sankranti or the last day of the Bengali year 1428. The new year’s day “Pahela Boisakh” is no less than a festival to the people of Bengal. This Day is celebrated by almost all through some different ways. Since the dawn of the day people are found in queues of different temples where they start the new year by worshipping God or Goddesses. They pray before the idol for blessing a very happy new year with prosperity health and wealth.
On the part of business community, they seek the blessing of their favourite God or Goddesses going to the temples. This day is celebrated by many of them as the “Hal Khata” day as if in English calendar it is just after old financial year of 31st March.The businessmen of Bengal start their traditional new financial year on 1st Boisakh with sweetmeat distributed among their customers.
The customers also pay their dues to the shopkeepers where they regularly buy their essential commodities. Colourful printed calendars and a box of sweetmeat are given to every customer who comes and buy a product in a shop on 1st Boisakh. This is a tradition going on from generation to generation. By the evening local clubs or cultural organizations arrange cultural programs to welcome new year. Parties are also arranged among the friends with a festive mood on this day of the Bengali new year.
In East Midnapore, since morning The Bargabhima Temple is found gathered by the devotees to have the blessing of Maa Bargabhima, one of 51 Satipith as local belief. In West Midnapore, the Gandhi Ghat of the river Kangshaboti is decorated by the students of local art college. Through their paintings, the students express their abstract emotion in concrete form to welcome the new year day.
Sarba Mangala Temple of Burdwan city is famous in the district of East Burdwan and adjacent districts of Bankura, West Budwan. People from these districts come here to have the blessing of Mata for having a joyful new year. Kalyaneswari Devi temple is one of the famous temple of West Burdwan. It is situated near the city of factories, that is Asansol. There not only the Bengalees but also non Bengali community come and participate new year puja.
