‘Pahela Phagun’ spring festival celebrated in Bangladesh
The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ was celebrated in Dhaka despite the continued shadow of Corona pandemic in the country. Cultural organisations held programmes at different venues in the city to herald the beginning of the spring. Programmes were held at the Suhrawardy Udyan, Nandan Manch of Shilpakala Academy and several other locations.
The Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad organized the programme at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Young women wearing yellow saris and youth dressed in ‘Punjabis’ took part in the festivity. The programme featured dance and musical performances.
The traditional programme of ‘Basanta Utsab’ at the Fine Arts faculty in Dhaka university was cancelled since educational institutions have been closed till Feb. 28 by the government due to the Corona pandemic.
The Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Academy held the spring festival at its Nandan Mancha. State Minister of Culture K.M. Khalid was the Chief guest on the occasion. Children from Bangladesh Performing art performed the musical drama ‘Aha Ki Ananda Akase Batase’. Music, dance and choreography performances were also organised during the event.
The day also coincides with Valentine’s Day after the revision of the Bangla Calendar in 2019 by the Bangla Academy to align it with the Gregorian calendar. The two events were celebrated together by the youth of Bangladesh with the fragrance of love in the air.
