DHAKA: People of different ethnicities have been celebrating the first day of Baishakh since time immemorial. This traditional event is called in different names in different nations, mostly in south and south-east Asia.

The first day of Baishakh, called Pahela Baishakh, is considered as the first day Bangla calendar introduced by Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar in 1556 AD or 963 Arabic Hijri.

Bangladeshi people celebrate the day as ‘Naba Barshar’ that falls on April 14. Bangali communities, who live in different states of India, including West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha, also celebrate the day with the greeting of ‘Shubha Naba Barsha’.

People of other parts of India also celebrate Baishakh with their respective traditional activities.

Residents of Punjab regard Baishakh or Vaisakhi as a harvest festival. It is also celebrated as Punjabi New Year.

The other states including Assam, Manipur, Odisha, Kerala and Tamil Nadu also celebrate this festival as their New Year.

Baishakh is also a celebration for the peoples of Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, Cambodia and Thailand.

In Thailand, Baishakh is called and celebrated as the Songkran festival. This traditional event is internationally known as ‘Water Festival’.

Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. For that reason, water becomes the prime source of the celebration symbolizing ‘cleansing and refreshing’.

The traditional Thai New Year is celebrated in many different districts throughout the country. In Thai city Pattaya, the festival is also called ‘Wan Lai’.

Baishkha is also celebrated among the peoples of the south-east Asian countries including Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia in different names and different manners.

BDST: 0836 HRS, APR 14 2014