Celebrate Pahela Baishakh at Aloki with Arka Boishakh 1433, a modern cultural mela in Dhaka. Featuring curated fashion, traditional games, and authentic Bengali cuisine, this immersive event reinterprets heritage for a vibrant younger generation.

A new song created with the help of artificial intelligence has joined this year’s Pahela Baishakh  releases, adding a technological twist to the Bengali New Year celebrations.

As dawn broke over Ramna Batamul yesterday, Chhayanaut’s chorus of 200 performers lifted “Jago alok‑logone” into the morning air, opening the celebration of Pahela Baishakh 1433.

From vibrant street processions to intimate family gatherings, Bengalis across the world have welcomed the new year with enthusiasm. Social media, too, has been abuzz, offering glimpses into how public figures and celebrities are celebrating the day with their fans and well-wishers.

Prabhat Feri, Mangal Shobhajatra and 3-day fair draw crowds as city ushers 1433

The spirit of Pahela Baishakh came alive at Paltan Maidan in the capital today as the “Cute Baishakhi Krira Utsab 1433” unfolded with a vibrant showcase of Bangladesh’s traditional rural games.

For actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, the festival is about love and unity. “My desire to celebrate is always there,” she says. “Given my work, I usually collaborate with friends from Charukola, theatre colleagues, and younger artists from Gen Z.”

For Bengalis, Pahela Baishakh is more than just the first day of the year—it is a feeling, a rhythm of life that returns with colour, music, and the promise of renewal. Long before city processions and curated celebrations, the day lived in simpler, more intimate moments—village fairs, homemade delicacies, and shared joy.

The Bengali New Year is set to be marked by a packed lineup of concerts, cultural events and digital releases across Bangladesh, as celebrations for Chaitra Sankranti and Pahela Baishakh gather momentum.

Chhayanaut has expressed deep concern over a series of attacks on the country’s cultural sphere.

From the bustling capital to the coastal heartlands, the nation celebrates Pahela Baishakh with vibrant festivities and a colourful atmosphere

Singer Dola Rahman, who has recently voiced multiple songs for Eid, has shared her fondest memories of Pahela Baishakh, reflecting on how the festival shaped her love for music and culture.

What is now one of the most widely celebrated cultural events across Bangladesh actually started as an administrative solution, and its transformation over the centuries offers a surprisingly layered look at how traditions evolve.

To welcome the Bengali New Year, a variety of celebrations are taking place across the country. Various programmes will also be broadcast on the country’s television channels.

Large turnout marks revival of traditional procession as participation rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

Noted actor Tariq Anam Khan holds some of his fondest memories of early Pahela Baishakh celebrations close to his heart.

For Khairul Anam Shakil, Nazrul Sangeet exponent and vice president of Chhayanaut, Pahela Baishakh is far more than the start of a new year—it is a living expression of Bangali identity.

Folklorists have long recognised multiple categories within Bengali folk literature—songs, proverbs, riddles, and rhymes. Rhymes are not homogeneous; they appear in distinct functional types: nursery rhymes, social or satirical rhymes, occupational rhymes, ritual rhymes, and those associated with games. That diversity signals not triviality, but embeddedness. In their rhythmic repetition are folded patterns of labour, hierarchy, crisis and adaptation.

For the talented actress Afsana Mimi, Pahela Baishakh is an essential part of her life. Though she hasn’t been able to participate in Mongol Shobhajatra over the past ten years, she continues the tradition with the children at her cultural centre, Ichchhetola.

Although the Bengali calendar has been in use for centuries, the tradition of celebrating Pahela Baishakh as a public festival is a relatively modern development.