Boishakh

Boishakh (Bengali: বৈশাখ, Nepali: बैशाख, Bôishakh, Baishakh) is the first month in the Assamese calendar, Bengali calendar and Nepali calendar.[1][2] This month lies between the second half of April and the first half of May.

Boishakh
Pohela Boishakh celebration in Dhaka
Native nameবৈশাখ (Bengali)
Calendar
Month number
  • 1
Number of days
  • 31 (Bangladesh);
  • 30/31 (India)
SeasonSummer
Gregorian equivalentApril-May
Significant daysPohela Boishakh

Etymology

The name of the month is derived from the position of the Sun near the star Bishakha (বিশাখা).[3]

History

The first day of Boishakh is celebrated as the Pôhela Bôishakh or Bengali New Year's Day.[4] The day is observed with cultural programs, festivals and carnivals all around the country. The day of is also the beginning of all business activities in Bangladesh and neighboring Indian state of West Bengal and Tripura. The traders starts new fiscal account book called হালখাতা Halkhata.[5][6] The accounting in the Halkhata begins only after this day. It is celebrated with sweets and gifts with customers.[5]

Season

The month of Boishakh also marks the official start of Summer. The month is notorious for the afternoon storms called Kalboishakhi (Nor'wester).[7] The storms usually start with strong gusts from the north-western direction at the end of a hot day and cause widespread destruction.[8][9]

Agriculture

Boishakh is the month when many of the seasonal fruits, especially mango, watermelon, and jackfruit become available.[10] Green unripe mangoes are a particular delicacy of the month.[11]

Observances marked (per official use in Bangladesh)

References
  1. Mundu, Boniface (2013). The Silent Short Stories: A Word of Truth. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4689-3981-1.
  2. "Nepali Calendar - २०७४ जेष्ठ - नेपाली क्यालेन्डर". www.nepcal.com. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  3. "Another New Year,Another Resolution". Daily Sun. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  4. "Chhayanaut's Pahela Boishakh celebrations continue". The Daily Star. 2017-04-02. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  5. Haider, M. H. (8 April 2014). "Hal Khata Time-bound, Yet Timeless". The Daily Star. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  6. "Halkatha – An explanation". Amader Kotha. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  7. Shaw, Rajib; Mallick, Fuad; Islam, Aminul (2013). Disaster Risk Reduction Approaches in Bangladesh. Springer. p. 98. ISBN 978-4-431-54252-0.
  8. "Kalboishakhis - Bangladesh's deadly storms". Al Jazeera. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  9. Huq, S.M. Imamul; Shoaib, Jalal Uddin Md. (2013). The Soils of Bangladesh. Springer. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-94-007-1128-0.
  10. "Boishakh - the special month to celebrate nature". The Daily Star. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  11. "Boishakhi delights Green Mango". The Daily Star. 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
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