The first day of spring, widely known as Pahela Falgun in Bangladesh, is celebrated with happiness and colours on 13th February every year. With each fascinating fact the day gets more interesting and there are many aspects which make the day special. Here is a list that will help you know this joyous day better ---
The first day of spring is not only celebrated in Bangladesh but also in West Bengal. Many Indian states welcome this day with festivity too, such as Tripura, Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand. It is a popular celebration in Nepal as well. However, in West Bengal and in India the festival is known as Basonta Utsab.
Festivals are never complete without colours. Each festival has their own defining colour that will hold the essence and spirit of the celebration. Yellow is the colour for Pahela Falgun. People mostly wear yellow on this day. Different shades of yellow, orange and green as well are worn on the day to spread the essence of spring. Such bright colours worn by jovial souls adorn the country with a colourful look.
Spring is known as the season of flowers. Flowers bloomed in this season symbolize love and youth. Hence this season is also known for love, warmth and happiness. This occasion pre-empts Valentine's Day, which is also quite popular in Bangladesh setting the mood for Pahela Baishakh which is the first day of Bengali New Year.
Floral ornaments' demands increase like anything since this day's iconic symbol is flowers. Fresh yellow marigolds and ornaments made with yellow flowers are women's favourite. Specially head accessories with flowers in it get highly popular. Even men go to flower shops to buy flowers for gifting it to their women. Bangles, earrings, necklaces, even anklets made with flowers become women's favourite thing to wear on this day.
Since the festival is very much traditional, people avoid western clothes during the day while celebrating. Women mostly wear saree and men wear punjabi. Keeping the nature of the occasion in mind, simple fresh colourful traditional attires become widespread in the market. Materials such as --- cotton, jamdani, taant --- all sorts of local materials are being sold. Hand-printed cotton sarees too are popular among the young generation. Different boutique shops update their collection right before Pahela Falgun.
Dhaka University remains the heart of all cultural activities related with Pahela Falgun. 'Bakultola', commonly known as 'Charu-kola' which is the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University hold different exhibitions and other cultural activities to celebrate the day. Tons of people go to TSC, Dhaka University to celebrate the day. Bands' performance, poem recitation, classical dance performance make the crowd go huge, making the place the most happening spot of the country. Therefore, security around the area is being increased too on that day. Along with these, different television channels come up with special programmes for the day.
The celebration of Pahela Falgun in this country is no less than Pahela Baishakh. However, unlike Pohela Baishakh, the first day of spring is not a national holiday. Despite not being a national holiday, the spirit of Pahela Falgun is celebrated fully throughout the country. If it is a Friday, then it is a lucky year for the country and people do not have to ditch work or change plans to be a part of the celebration. Nevertheless, it is quite amazing to see people from all religions gathering and finding time to celebrate non-holiday festival.
The above list is just a little effort to let the people be aware of the existing norms and celebrations. However, one can always dig deep into the history to know more.
