Regional Festival · Select a year for the Gregorian date
Poila Boishakh: Bengali New Year Date, Haal Khata and Traditions
Boishakh 1 is the civil New Year of the Bengali calendar, usually mid-April. Select a year for Noboborsho date.
पॉयला बैशाख · · Krishna Trayodashi
- Muhurat (2026)
- 06:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Hindu month
- Vaisakha
- Regions
- West Bengal, Tripura, Bangladesh
- Deity
- Household deities; Lakshmi–Ganesha for Haal Khata; cultural rather than a single-temple vrata
Poila Boishakh (Pohela Boishakh) is the first day of Boishakh in the Bengali calendar (Bangabda), usually in mid-April. West Bengal, Tripura and the Bengali diaspora treat it as a cultural new year: new clothes (often white with red borders), visits to temples such as Kalighat or household Lakshmi-Ganesha puja, opening of Haal Khata (fresh account books) by traders, and feasts of panta bhat, ilish, kosha mangsho and mishti. Bangladesh’s public Pohela Boishakh (Mangal Shobhajatra) is a related but distinct national celebration on the same seasonal new year. It is a public holiday in West Bengal and Tripura.
When is Poila Boishakh?
Poila Boishakh is Wednesday, 15 April, 2026, Boishakh 1 in the Bengali calendar. Because the Bengali calendar is a solar sidereal system, the new year clusters around 14–15 April, similar to Tamil Puthandu, Vishu, and several other South and East Asian solar new years, but it is not the same as Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (Gudi Padwa / Ugadi). Use the year selector to see any other calendar. Morning hours are preferred for Haal Khata puja and temple visits.
- Date: Wednesday, 15 April, 2026.
- Bengali year: Bangabda begins on Boishakh 1.
- Holiday in West Bengal and Tripura.
Haal Khata, food and cultural processions
Shopkeepers invite customers to settle old dues and bless a new ledger with a simple puja, sweets and sometimes a small gift. This is a commercial-dharmic custom, not a Vedic yajna. Families dress in traditional clothes, greet “Shubho Noboborsho”, and eat a meal that mixes bitter, sweet and festive dishes. Kolkata hosts cultural programmes; Dhaka’s Mangal Shobhajatra is UNESCO-recognised. If you are abroad, a home rangoli, a Bengali meal, and a call to elders is a complete observance.
| Custom | What it means |
|---|---|
| Haal Khata | New financial books; customer goodwill |
| Shubho Noboborsho | New Year greeting |
| Panta Ilish | Soaked rice with hilsa — seasonal, not mandatory |
| Prabhat phheri / shobhajatra | Morning cultural rallies |
How this differs from Hindu New Year in Chaitra
Chaitra Pratipada (March) is lunisolar Vikram Samvat new year. Poila Boishakh (April) is the solar Bengali year used for many cultural and agricultural reckonings in Bengal. Both are “Indian new years”; they answer different calendars. Use our Bengali calendar page for the rest of Bangabda 1433 and the Hindu calendar page for tithi-based festivals.
Key sacred rituals
- Haal Khata puja for opening new financial books
- Shobhajatra cultural rallies and folk music
- Feasting on Panta Ilish, Kosha Mangsho, and Rosogolla
Frequently asked questions
When is Poila Boishakh?
Poila Boishakh falls on Wednesday, 15 April, the first day of Boishakh (Bangabda 1433).
Is Poila Boishakh the same as Ugadi or Gudi Padwa?
No. Those fall on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (19 March). Poila Boishakh is the solar Bengali new year in mid-April.
What is Haal Khata?
It is the tradition of opening a new account book on Bengali New Year, usually with a short puja, sweets, and settling of shop dues.
Is Poila Boishakh a public holiday?
Yes in West Bengal and Tripura. Bangladesh observes Pohela Boishakh as a national cultural holiday around the same date.
What should I eat on Poila Boishakh?
There is no compulsory menu. Traditional plates include panta, ilish, meat or vegetarian festive curries, and sweets such as rosogolla or sandesh.
Muhurat times are indicative for IST and may vary by city sunrise and tithi. Confirm with Today's Panchang.