Pahela Baishakh is known as the first day of Bangla calendar, is being celebrated amid traditional festivities and enthusiasm across the country on Saturday (14.04.18).
The festivities began at dawn with the artistes from Chhayanaut welcoming the day with the poet Tagore's famous song 'Esho hey Baishakh, esho, esho (come Baishakh, come)' under the banyan tree at the Ramna Park.
People of all walks of life gathered at different popular spots at dawn in capital Dhaka and elsewhere to welcome the Bangla New Year, 1425. The day is a public holiday.
Thousands of people, especially the ages people wearing traditional dresses, have thronged traditional venues at different parts of the capital, including Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Central Shaheed Minar, Dhaka University, Shahbagh, Dhanmondi Lake, Hatirjheel and different other spots to celebrate the day.
The celebrations of Pahela Baishakh have become an integral part of Bangalees.
Mughal Emperor Akbar started the Bangla calendar in 1556 of the Gregorian calendar in a bid to streamline the timing of land tax collection in the then 'Subah Bangla' region, the much of which falls under Bangladesh.
On the occasion, president of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid and prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages conveying their New Year's greetings to the people of the country and all Bengla-speaking people across the world.
Traders and shopkeepers across the country opened 'Halkhata' (new book of accounts) and entertain their customers and visitors with sweets.
Students of the FacuIty of Fine Art of Dhaka University brought out a 'Mangal Shobhajatra' (procession of good wishes) around 10:00am as part of the festival. The procession ended at the Dhaka University campus after parading different roads through Shahbagh.
Men wearing panjabi-pyjama, women attired in saris with red borders and children in colourful dresses all thronged traditional Baishakhi Mela (fair) and other cultural functions in the city.
People partook of 'Panta Bhat (watery rice)' with fried hilsa, lentils, green chili and onions at home, restaurants and fairs.
Besides this, a number of mobile courts were deployed in Ramna and Dhaka University areas to avoid any act of sabotage.