After the cold, grey winter nature brightens up. Birds chirp. Soft wind blows. Spring is infectious.
Pohela Falgun marks the celebration of happiness, of a new start. The celebration of spring probably started eons back, when people would be so relived that the winter had subsided, they celebrated.We might not have an extremely cold winter, but hey, we can always celebrate a new start.
Falgun will mean Krishnachura, Radhachura, Polash and all sorts of flowers in full bloom. The top of Polash and Krishnachura trees will look like someone has set them on fire. The grey footpaths will be carpeted with Yellow Radhachura. Random koels will hide between leaves and sing their beautiful song.
It’s not just the nature that colors up. The people, they too become vibrant and happy. From all walks of life, people celebrate Phola Falgun. They adorn themselves in yellow, green, orange and red. Girls put on flowers in their braids. The whole atmosphere is of happiness, of color.
Dhaka University, being the national center of higher education, has played a pivotal role in the political and social affairs of Bangladesh. It is for this reason that the university remains the hub of all cultural activities associated with Pohela Falgun. ‘Bakultola’ of the Institute of Fine Arts (commonly known as ‘Charukola’) of Dhaka University is the primary spot where all the festivities begin.
Activities of Pohela Falgun include folk music, dance of indigenous people, poem recitation, drama, and local band concerts. One activity that captures the spirit of Pohela Falgun is the loud procession, enhanced by the appropriate fanfare, brought out, usually in several phases in the morning, from various points in the country.
So, welcome to the time of flowers, have the time of your life. Color yourself in all that nature has to offer. Shubho Boshonto!
