Boishakhi fairs and festival

The first day of the month of Boishakh in Bangla Calendar or ‘Pahela Boishakh’ is the Bangla New Year’s Day – celebrated by the Bangalis across the globe as a folk festival. The Bangla New Year is embraced and welcomed on this day in a festive atmosphere, as it symbolises the wellbeing and renewal of societies and people. It is observed by the Bangalis with the hope of peace and affluence in the subsequentmonths by forgetting and overcoming the errors, omissions, and failures of the past. The main inspiration for welcoming the Bangla New Year by the masses appears to be the desire and optimism that the upcoming days of the year would bring better times for them with joy, peace, and happiness.

The Boishakhi festival and the related fairs held on the occasion of welcoming Bangla New Year is an intangible heritage cum tradition of Bangladesh. It can be safely assumed that the observance of Bangla New Year was first started following the introduction of anew calendar during the Mughal era. This ‘Fasli Hijri’ calendar was related to seasonal production of crops, and it was introduced by taking into account the year of ascension to throne by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (963 Hijri, 1556 CE). This was ultimately converted into a Bangla Calendar. There are historical evidences that the Nawabs of Bengal based in Murshidabad used to celebrate ‘Punyah’ on the occasion of Bangla New Year at the start of the 18th century CE. They used to present their kith and kin with money, dresses, and titles. The Zamindars of Bengal in turnused to deposit taxes to the royal treasury on the occasion. There were also presentations of songs and dances, announcements by beating drums, feasts, and games. The custom of opening ‘Halkhata’ or business accounts by traders and businessmen was also in vogue, especially in villages. The customers repaid their arrears or dues during such programs to the shopkeepers, money-lenders and landlords. The traders used to reciprocate by welcoming the customersand entertaining them with sweets.

The Zamindars were the main sponsors of the ‘Boishakhi Mela’ or fairs in the past. These fairs, organized on the occasion of Bangla New Year, were open to all, and were secular and universal in character, which still appears to be the case. The farmers used to bring agricultural commodities, the artisans brought handicrafts and toys, the weavers displayed woven apparels, and the confectioners brought sweetmeats for both exhibition and sales in the fair. The fair-site reverberated with the sound of drums and songs, the circus party presented stunts for the spectators, and the clowns moved around for making the audience laugh. Besides, there were rides and magic shows for children, and even livestock for sale. People enjoyed the festival by merry-making and moving around throughout the day, purchasing whatever they liked. Then they returned home in the evening fully satisfied and exhausted. However, these programs were mostly discontinued after the abolition of the Zamindari system in 1950, although a few tribal kings (Rajas) still organise the ‘Raj Punyah’ in their royal households of Chattogram Hill Tracts– coinciding with their ‘Boisabi’ (‘Boisuk’ of Tripura community, ‘Sangrai’ of Marmas and ‘Biju’ of Chakmas) festival. But the ‘Boishakhi Mela’ or fair and ‘Halkhata Festival’ still takes place in most urban areas of Bangladesh.

The Bangla New Year’s Day was declared a public holiday after the independence of Bangladesh. Prominent buildings and structures including those owned by the government are decorated with colourful lights on the occasion. The day usually starts for the ordinary Bangalis with the partaking of a breakfast comprising ‘Chira’ (dried and fried rice), molasses and yoghurt. Many urban dwellers also start the day by consuming ‘pantabhat’ (boiled and cooled rice soaked overnight in water), green chillies, onion and fried Hilsa fish. The city-dwellers go out at dawn to join processions, fairs, musical soirees, discussion meetings etc., and enjoy the day withmirth and euphoria. People from all walks of life wear traditional Bengali dresses with young females wearing red saris having white borders and adorning themselves with bangles, flowers and tips. The males wear white pyjama and kurta.

The fairs exhibit all types of commodities including varieties of sweets, colourful masks, clay dolls, glass-bangles, cosmetics, and toys made of plastic and rubber for children. There are kite-flying, boat-races and pigeon-flying at some places, wrestling bouts in others, as well as cock-fights and bullfights in many locations. The fairs also provide entertainment by staging Jatra, Pala-gaan, Kobi-gaan, Jari-gaan, Gazir-gaan, Alkap-gaan and Gambhira songs. Folk songs of Baul, Marfati, Murshidi, and Bhatiali varieties are also presented.  Besides, folk-plays based on legends like ‘Laily-Majnu’, ‘Yousuf-Zulaikha’, and ‘Radha-Krishna’ are staged. The businesspeople observe the day with due solemnity by opening a new account bookdaubing it with the finger-marks of vermillion. This new book is known as the ‘Halkhata’. The traders also entertain their customers by offering sweetmeat.

There are many famous Boishakhi Fairs that are organized across the length and breadth of Bangladesh. The ‘Chandana’ fair takes place in Cumilla district on the first day of Boishakh, while the ‘Mainamatir Mela’ takes place on the bank of the river Gomati on 7th Boishakh. The ‘Bhadughar Mela’ sits on the bank of Titas River in Brahmanbaria on 14th Boishakh. Boishakhi fairs are arranged at different places of the country including Nabinagar and Kharampur of Brahmanbaria. Puppet dances are usuallypresentedin these fairs, and some puppet-dance artistes can still be found at these spots. The famous ‘Boli Khela’ (wrestling contest) cum ‘Boishakhi Mela’ of Chattogram City takes place at the Laldighi Maidan from 12th Boishakh and continues for three days. A wrestler named Abdul Jabbar was the initiator of this wrestling competition back in 1909, and it has now become a part of the Boishakhi tradition of Chattogram, with the fair often dubbed as ‘Abdul Jabbarer Mela’. Abdul Jabbar had infused new life to the anti-colonial movement during the British era by imbibing people with the spirit of patriotism.

Other notable Boishakhi Fairs of the country include ‘Bakaler Mela’ of Barishal, ‘Nishinath-talar Mela’ of Jashore, ‘Bheramara Ghorapeerer Mela’ of Kushtia, ‘KalupeererBoishakhi Mela’ on the bank of Baral River at Charghat upazila of Rajshahi district, ‘Ambarir Mela’ of Dinajpur, etc. The Boishakhi Fair of Charghat has a tradition of over one hundred year. A saint named Kalupeer had saved the local population from the erosion of Padma River, and it is believed that this fair was launched in memory of that saint. The Boishakhi fairs used to be held with much pomp, gaiety and fanfare in the past. ‘Jatra’ (indigenous plays) groups, ‘Lathikhela’ players who fought with sticks, and bands of drummers and musicians used to arrive from Kolkata on the occasion. Fairs also used to take place at launch-ghats, where daylong events were organized and various items like earthenware, handicrafts made of bamboo and cane, bangles, seasonal fruits and eateries, as well as essential commodities were sold.

The famous ‘Nishinath-tala Mela’ of Narail takes place over eight days from the 24th to 31st of Boishakh. There is an ancient banyan tree at the site, as well as a temple. The Hindu community offers Puja here throughout the year. During the fair, people pour water at the foot of the banyan tree, offer sacrifices or vows, and pray for forgiveness. Many pilgrims arrive at the site from the surrounding areas including from West Bengal of India. The ‘Namjagga’ ritual takes place at the site, and Kirtan songs are rendered by participants from various groups like the ‘Radhagovinda’, ‘Gouragadadhar’, ‘Ananta-Pagal’, ‘Adyashakti’, ‘Beenapani’ and ‘Ramnarayan’ communities. The fair continues until the dusk descends and the night falls.

When the sun rises at dawn on the New Year’s Day, the ordinary mortals bask in the rays of the sun – feeling the presence of the divine and praying for a more fulfilling existence in an everchanging universe – where joy and sorrow, hope and despair alternate andintermingle with each other on a daily basis.  There are, however, signs of changing times now in the observance of traditional folk festivals like Pahela Boishakh. The spontaneity of emotion and affection that was once in vogue appears to be giving way to artificiality and formalism gradually. Despite that, the fact remains that the day carries much significance in the lives of the ordinary Bangalis, as it brings in a sense of freedom – freedom from the perils and frustrations of mundane life bypinning hopes for a brighter future. It therefore becomes a day of renewal, reassurance and prayers directed at the divine for a better and more fulfilling life.

[Reference: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (ASB). ‘Lok-Sanskriti’ (Folk Culture) in Wakil Ahmad (ed.) Bangladesh Cultural Survey, Volume-7. Dhaka: ASB, December 2007.]

Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed is a retired Additional Secretary and former Editor of Bangladesh Quarterly.

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