Hyderabad: On the occasion of regional New Year festivals in many states across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Draupadi Murmu and their respective state Chief Ministers greeted the people on Sunday.
These festivals are a reflection of the cultural diversity across the country, which often includes rituals, feasts, traditional attire and various cultural performances. People come forward to embrace the spirit of hope and the beginning of a new phase in their lives.
The festivals often have deep cultural roots and are celebrated as per traditional calendars. For instance, Pohela Boishakh is being celebrated in West Bengal and Bangladesh as the harvest festival. It is also called 'Noboborsho' in mid-April month. The celebration was introduced in the Mughal era during the period of emperor Akbar to fix up a day every year to collect the harvest tax.
This year, the auspicious day is being celebrated on April 14, following this, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended greetings to the people of Bengal. In the post, the CM quoted the famous lines of Rabindranath Tagore's timeless 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol', which is the state anthem of Bengal.
She reminded that the government had first declared 'Poila Baisakh', the first day of Bangla 'Nababarsho' as the foundation day of the state and declared Tagore's Banglar Mati Banglar Jol (the soil of Bengal, the waterbodies of Bengal) as the state anthem, the CM said, "this day signifies the glorious culture, rich heritage and spirit of brotherhood in Bengal.
Assam celebrates the festive as 'Bihu', which is being celebrated on Sunday. Following this, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to his social media handle to greet the people.
Pana Sankranti is being celebrated in Odisha, which is also known as Vishuva Sankranti. On this special day, President Murmu greeted the people, "On the occasion of Pana Sankranti, I extend my heartiest congratulations to the people of Odisha and those living abroad. Pana Sankranti or Maha Bishuba Sankranti is celebrated with joy across Odisha. I wish the dear brothers and sisters of Odisha a happy and prosperous Odia New Year, a symbol of cultural richness. and I pray for the prosperity of the people of the state."
The word 'Vishu' came from the Sanskrit language, which means 'equal' and this is a festival of Malayalees, who welcome the traditional New Year, Vishu, on Sunday by performing colourful rituals. It is also celebrated as a harvest festival; Vishu falls on the first day of the Malayalam month of 'Medam'. On the auspicious day, several dignitaries, along with state CM Pinarayi Vijayan, penned a note on their social media handles.
Puthandu is being celebrated across Tamil Nadu and this time the festival is celebrated on April 14. The celebration marks the first month of the Tamil calendar, Chitterai. Hence, this year, Puthandu was celebrated on April 14. In addition, the Maithili New Year mostly falls on April 14 in the Gregorian year.
