Poila Baishak – the popular name of Bengali New Year in West Bengal is an significant event of the bengalis. The bengalis celebrate this day by wishing “Subho Nabo Barsho” (Happy New Year) and exchange gifts and sweets with family, relatives and friends. This celebration takes place in the month of Baishak (April-May) usually falls on 14th / 15thof April every year. People worship Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha and traders perform the Halkatha ceremony (New Account Register Book) to mark the advent of Bengali New Year. Although there are more than one way to celebrate this day and make it memorable,here are 5 ways for an unforgettable celebration.
Buy a new saree,specially white saree with red border and pair it with a designer blouse or you can get yourself the traditional red blouse. This attire will give you the ethnic look which will be just perfect for the day. All my life I have seen my mother,grandmother and other aunts flaunting their new saree on this day every year,and for the last almost ten years, I have been doing the same,its like a tradition now,but it really set the right mood for the celebration.
Start the day by worshiping your God and Goddesses,and if possible offer Payash or Kheer ( Indian rice pudding). Pray for the well being of your family,near and dear ones, and also take a minute to pray for the entire nation and for people who have been victims of different attacks. You will feel good once you open your eyes.
Play a good Song,if possible Rabindro Sangeet (Songs written and composed by Rabindra Nath Tagore). Tagore has composed many songs for the the month of Baishak, out of them Eso Hai Baishak is the most popular song and is played by almost every Bengali on this day. Playing this songs will take the mood for celebration to a different level.
In Bengal, no celebration is complete without mouthwatering food fare,so inviting friends and relatives for lunch or dinner is very common on this day. I remember my mom used to cook Basanti puolao with Chicken kasha and Hilsa Mach Baja on this day,every year. My grandmother even used to prepare different sweets for this occasion. I do my best to hold this family tradition of ours and try to pass on the same values to my daughter.
In India we don't start our celebration without cleaning our homes,whether its Diwali or Poila Baishak,cleaning our homes are a must,specially kitchen because that is exactly from where we start our day by preparing something sweet,which we offer to our God. We don't even enter the kitchen without taking bath. Through out my life, I have seen the ladies in our family start their cleaning at least a week before the celebration,from curtains to floor mats everything was washed and ironed. I too follow the same rules. I too take special care to maintain the hygiene of my house and never forget to spray Godrej Red Hit in every nook and corner of the kitchen. We all hate cockroaches and other creepy crawlies and don't want them in any part of our house.
So here wishing everyone 'Subho Naba Barsho'.
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